Glass. 
Book 



y\ss 



A COMMENTARY 

ON THE 

BOOK OF PSALMS. 



I 




^7 



A 



COMMENTARY 

235511 
16 

ON THE 



BOOK OF PSALMS. 



THEIR LITERAL OR HISTORICAL SENSE, AS THEY RELATE TO KING DAVID, 
AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, IS ILLUSTRATED ; 

AND 

THEIR APPLICATION TO MESSIAH, TO THE CHURCH, AND TO INDIVIDUALS, 
AS MEMBERS THEREOF, IS POINTED OUT; 

WITH 

A VIEW TO RENDER THE USE OF THE PSALTER PLEASING AND PROFITABLE 
TO ALL ORDERS AND DEGREES OF CHRISTIANS. 

BY THE 

RIGHT REV. GEORGE HORNE, 

LATE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH. 



COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME. 



LONDON: 

WILLIAM TEGG & CO., PANCRAS LANE, CHEAPSIDE. 

MDCCCXLTX. 



PREFACE. 



THE Psalms are an epitome of the Bible, adapted to the purposes of 
devotion. They treat occasionally of the creation and formation of the 
world; the dispensations of Providence, and the economy of grace; the 
transactions of the patriarchs; the exodus of the children of Israel; their 
journey through the wilderness, and settlement in Canaan; their law, 
priesthood, and ritual; the exploits of their great men, wrought through 
faith; their sins and captivities; their repentances and restorations; the 
sufferings and victories of David ; the peaceful and happy reign of Solomon ; 
the advent of Messiah, with its effects and consequences; his incarnation, 
birth, life, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, kingdom, and priest- 
hood; the effusion of the Spirit; the conversion of the nations; the 
rejection of the Jews; the establishment, increase, and perpetuity of 
the christian church; the end of the world; the general judgment; the 
condemnation of the wicked, and the final triumph of the righteous with 
their Lord and King. These are the subjects here presented to our medi- 
tations. We are instructed how to conceive of them aright, and to express 
the different affections, which, when so conceived of, they must excite in 
our minds. They are, for this purpose, adorned with the figures, and 
set off with all the graces of poetry; and poetry itself is designed yet 
farther to be recommended by the charms of music, thus consecrated to 
the service of God; that so delight may prepare the way for improvement, 
and pleasure become the handmaid of wisdom, while every turbulent pas- 
sion is calmed by sacred melody, and the evil spirit is still dispossessed 
by the harp of the son of Jesse. This little volume, like the paradise 
of Eden, affords us in perfection, though in miniature, every thing that 
groweth elsewhere, " every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good 
for food:" and, above all, what was there lost, but is here restored, the 
tree of life in the midst of the garden. That which we read, as matter of 
speculation, in the other scriptures, is reduced to practice, when we recite 
it in the Psalms; in those, repentance and faith are described, but in 
these, they are acted ; by a perusal of the former, we learn how others 
served God, but, by using the latter, we serve him ourselves. " What is 
there necessary for man to know," says the pious and judicious Hooker, 
" which the Psalms are not able to teach? They are to beginners an easy 
and familiar introduction, a mighty augmentation of all virtue and know- 
ledge in such as are entered before, a strong confirmation to the most 
perfect among others. Heroical magnanimity, exquisite justice, grave 
moderation, exact wisdom, repentance unfeigned, unwearied patience, the 
mysteries of God, the sufferings of Christ, the terrors of wrath, the com- 
forts of grace, the works of Providence over this world, and the promised 
joys of that world which is to come; all good necessarily to be either 
known, or done, or had, this one celestial fountain yieldeth. Let there 



vi 



PREFACE. 



be any grief or disease incident unto the soul of man, any wound or sick- 
ness named, for which there is not, in this treasure-house, a present 
comfortable remedy at all times ready to be found."* In the language of 
this divine book, therefore, the prayers and praises of the church have 
been offered up to the throne of grace, from age to age. And it appears 
to have been the Manual of the Son of God, in the days of his flesh; 
who, at the conclusion of his last supper, is generally supposed, and that 
upon good grounds, to have sung an hymn taken from it; -f- who pro- 
nounced, on the cross, the beginning of the 22d Psalm: u My God, 
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and expired, with a part of the 
31st Psalm in his mouth; — " Into thy hands I commend my spirit." Thus 
He, who had not the Spirit by measure, in whom were hidden all the 
treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and who spake as never man spake, 
yet chose to conclude his life, to solace himself in his greatest agony, and 
at last to breathe out his soul, in the Psalmist's form of words, rather 
than his own. No tongue of man or angel, as Dr. Hammond justly ob- 
serves, can convey an higher idea of any book, and of their felicity, who 
use it aright. 

Proportionable to the excellency of the Psalms, hath been the number 
of their expositors. The ancients were chiefly taken up in making spiritual 
or evangelical applications of them; in adapting their discourses on them 
to the general exigences of the christian church, or to the particular neces- 
sities of the age in which they wrote. The moderns have set themselves 
to investigate with diligence, and ascertain with accuracy, their literal 
scope and meaning. Piety and devotion characterize the writings of the 
ancients ; the commentaries of the moderns display more learning and 
judgment. The ancients have taught us how to rear a goodly superstruc- 
ture ; but the moderns have laid the surest foundation. To bring them 
in some measure together, is the design of the following work ; in which 
the author has not laboured to point out what seemed wrong in either, but 
to extract what he judged to be right from both ; to make the annotations 
of the latter a ground-work for improvements, like those of the former ; 
and thus to construct an edifice, solid, as well as spacious. Materials, 
and good ones, he cannot be said to have wanted ; so that if the building 
should give way, the cement must have been faulty, or the workman 
unskilful. 

The right of the Psalter to a place in the sacred canon hath never been 
disputed ; and it is often cited by our Lord and his apostles in the New 
Testament, as the work of the Holy Spirit. Whether David, therefore, or 
any other prophet, was employed as the instrument of communicating to 
the church such or such a particular Psalm, is a question which, if it 
cannot always be satisfactorily answered, needs not disquiet our minds. 
When we discern, in an epistle, the well-known hand of a friend, we are 
not solicitous about the pen with which it was written. 

The number of Psalms is the same in the original, and in the version 
- of the lxx ; only these last have, by some mistake, thrown the ninth and 
tenth into one, as also the 114th and 115th, and have divided the 116th 

* Hooker's Ecclesiast. Pol. b. v. sect. 37. 

t St. Matthew informs us, chap. xxvi. 30. that he and his apostles " sung an 
hymn ;" and the hymn usually sung by the Jews, upon that occasion, was, what they 
called, the " Great Hallel," consisting of the Psalms from the 113th to the 118th 
inclusive. 



PREFACE. 



Vll 



into two, as also the 147th. The Hebrews have distributed them into five 
books ; but for what reason, or upon what authority, we know not. This 
is certain, that the apostles quote from " the book of Psalms,"* and that 
they quote the " second " Psalm of that book, in the order in which it now 
stands. f That division which our own church hath made of them, into 
thirty portions, assigning- one to each day of the month, it hath been 
thought expedient to set down in the margin ; as persons may often choose 
to turn to the Commentary on those Psalms which occur in their daily 
course of reading. 

In the titles, prefixed to some of the Psalms, there is so much obscurity, 
and in the conjectures which have been made concerning them, both ina 
literal and spiritual way, so great a variety and uncertainty, that the author, 
finding himself, after all his searches, unable to offer any thing which he 
thought could content the learned, or edify the unlearned, at length de- 
termined to omit them ; as the sight of them, unexplained, only distracts 
the eye and attention of the reader. The omission of the word Selah must 
be apologized for in the same manner. The information obtained from the 
historical titles will be found in the Argument placed at the head of each 
Psalm ; though even that is not always to be relied on. 

"Where this information failed, the occasion and drift of a Psalm were 
to be collected from the internal evidence contained in itself, by a diligent 
perusal of it, with a view to the sacred history ; the light of which, when 
held to the Psalms, often dissipates the darkness, that must otherwise for 
ever envelop allusions to particular events and circumstances. Sometimes, 
indeed, the descriptions are couched in terms more general ; and then, 
the want of such information is less perceived. If it appear, for instance, 
that David, at the time of composing any Psalm, was under persecution, 
or had been lately delivered from it, it may not be of any great conse- 
quence, if we cannot determine with precision, whether his persecution by 
Saul and Doeg, or that by Absalom and Ahitophel, be intended and 
referred to. The expressions either of his sorrow or his joy ; his strains, 
whether plaintive or jubilant, may be nearly the same in both cases, res- 
pectively. This observation may be extended to many other instances of 
calamities bewailed, or deliverances celebrated in the Psalms sometimes 
by the prince, sometimes by the community, and frequently by both 
together. Upon the whole, it is hoped, that the design of each Psalm 
hath been sufficiently discovered, to explain and apply it, for the instruc- 
tion and comfort of believers. 

The result of such critical inquiries as were found necessary to be made, 
is given in as few words as possible ; often only by inserting into a verse, 
or subjoining to it, that sense of a word, or phrase, which seemed, upon 
mature deliberation, to be the best; as it was deemed improper to clog, 
with prolix disquisitions of this kind, a work intended for general use. 
The reader will, however, reap the benefit of many such, which have been 
carefully consulted for him. And he will not, it is presumed, have reason 
to complain, that any verse is passed over, without a tolerably consistent 
interpretation, and some useful improvement. — Where the literal sense 
was plain, it is noticed only so far as was necessary to make an applica- 
tion, or form a reflection. Where there appeared any obscurity, or 
difficulty, recourse was had to the best critics, and that solution, which 



* Acts i. 20. 



f Acts xiii. 33. 



viii 



PREFACE. 



seemed the most satisfactory, given in the concisest manner. Much 
labour hath here been bestowed, where little appears. The plan of every 
Psalm hath been attentively studied, with the connexion and dependence 
of its parts, which it is the design of the Argument to exhibit at one view, 
and of the Commentary to pursue and explain from beginning to end.* 

No person is more thoroughly sensible than the author is, of the respect 
and gratitude due from all lovers of the sacred writings, to those who have 
laboured in the field of literal criticism. Great and illustrious characters, 
whose names will be had by the church in everlasting remembrance ! All, 
who desire to understand the scriptures, must enter into their labours, and 
make the proper advantage of them, as he himself hath endeavoured to 
do. But let us also bear in mind, that all is not done, when this is done. 
A work of the utmost importance still remains, which it is the business of 
Theology f to undertake and execute ; since, with respect to the Old 
Testament, and the Psalter more especially, a person may attain a critical 
and grammatical knowledge of them, and yet continue a Jew, with a veil 
upon his heart ; an utter stranger to that sense of the holy books, evidently 
intended, in such a variety of instances, to bear testimony to the Saviour 
of the world ; that sense, which is styled, by divines, the prophetical, 
evangelical, mystical, or spiritual sense. As it is one great design of 
the following work to investigate that sense in many of the Psalms, this is 
the proper place to lay before the reader those grounds and reasons, upon 
which such investigation has been made. 

That the spiritual interpretation of the scripture, like all other good 
things, is liable to abuse, and that it hath been actually abused, both in 
ancient and modern days, cannot be denied. He who shall go about to 
apply, in this way, any passage, before he hath attained its literal meaning, 
may say what in itself is pious and true, but foreign to the text from which 
he endeavoureth to introduce it. St. Jerom, it is well known, when grown 
older and wiser, lamented, that, in the fervours of a youthful fancy, he 
had spiritualized the prophecy of Obadiah, before he understood it. And 
it must be allowed, that a due attention to the occasion and scope of the 
Psalms would have pared off many unseemly excrescences, which now 
deform the commentaries of St. Augustin, and other Fathers, upon them. 
But these and other concessions of the same kind being made, as they are 
made very freely, "men of sense will consider, that a principle is not 
therefore to be rejected, because it has been abused;"! since human 
errors can never invalidate the truths of God. 

It may not be amiss, therefore, to run through the Psalter, and point 
out some of the more remarkable passages, which are cited from thence by 
our Lord and his apostles, and applied to matters evangelical. 

No sooner have we opened the book, but the second Psalm presenteth 
itself, to all appearance, as an inauguration hymn, composed by David, 
the anointed of Jehovah, when by him crowned with victory, and placed 
triumphant on the sacred hill of Sion. But let us turn to Acts iv. 25 ; 

* Nos Lectoris pium hunc laborem adjuvandum suscepimus : dum constitutis argu- 
mentis scopum attentioni figimus : dum scrutamur literam, et ex sacra historia, quan- 
tum possumus, omnia repetimus ; dum annotamus qua?, pietatem inflamment : alia eo 
exemplo quaerenda indicamus. — Bossuet, Dissertat. in Psal. cap. vii. 

t Theologiae insignis hie usus est, ut, verborum sensu exposito, rem intelligas. — 
Eisner. Praefat. ad. Observat Sacr. 

X Bishop Hurd's Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies, p. 64. 



PREFACE. 



ix 



and there we find the apostles, with one voice, declaring the Psalm to be 
descriptive of the exaltation of Jesus Christ, and of the opposition raised 
against his gospel, both by Jew and Gentile. 

In the 8th Psalm we imagine the writer to be setting forth the pre- 
eminence of man in general, above the rest of the creation ; but by Heb. 
ii. 3. we are informed, that the supremacy conferred on the second Adam, 
the man Christ Jesus, over all things in heaven and earth, is the subject 
there treated of. 

St. Peter stands up, Acts ii. 25. and preaches the resurrection of Jesus 
from the latter part of the 1 6th Psalm ; and, lo ! three thousand souls are 
converted by the sermon. 

Of the 18th Psalm we are told, in the course of the sacred history, 
2 Sam. xxii. that " David spake before the Lord the words of that song, 
in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, 
and out of the hand of Saul." Yet, in Rom. xv. 9. the 50th verse of that 
Psalm is adduced as a proof, that " the Gentiles should glorify God for his 
mercy in Jesus Christ, as it is written, For this cause will I confess to thee 
among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." 

In the 19th Psalm, David seems to be speaking of the material heavens, 
and their operations only, when he says, "Their sound is gone out into 
all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." But St. Paul 
Rom. x. 18. quotes the passage to show that the gospel had been univer- 
sally published by the apostles. 

The 22d Psalm Christ appropriated to himself, by beginning it in the 
midst of his sufferings on the cross ; " My God, my God," &c. Three 
other verses of it are, in the New Testament, applied to him ; and the 
words of the 8th verse were actually used by the chief priests, when they 
reviled him ; " He trusted in God," &c. — Matt, xxvii. 43. 

When David saith, in the 40th Psalm, " Sacrifice and offering thou 
didst not desire — Lo, I come to do thy will :" we might suppose him only 
to declare, in his own person, that obedience is better than sacrifice. But, 
from Heb. x. 5. we learn, that Messiah, in that place, speaketh of his 
advent in the flesh, to abolish the legal sacrifices, and to do away sin, by 
the oblation of himself once for all. 

That tender and pathetic complaint, in the 41st Psalm, " Mine own 
familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted 
up his heel against me," undoubtedly might be, and probably was, origin- 
ally uttered by David, upon the revolt of his old friend and counsellor, 
Ahithophel, to the party of his rebellious son, Absalom. But we are cer- 
tain, from John xiii. 18, that this scripture was fulfilled, when Christ was 
betrayed by his apostate disciple — " I speak not of you all ; I know whom 
I have chosen ; but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth 
bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." 

The 44th Psalm we must suppose to have been written on occasion of 
a persecution, under which the church at that time laboured ; but a verse 
of it is cited, Rom. viii. 36. as expressive of what Christians were to suffer, 
on their blessed Master's account ; " as it is written, For thy sake we are 
killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep appointed to be slain." 

A quotation from the 45th Psalm, in Heb. i. 8. certifies us, that the 
whole is addressed to the Son of God, and therefore celebrates his spiritual 
union with the church, and the happy fruits of it. 

The 68th Psalm, though apparently conversant about lsraelitish victories, 



X 



PREFACE. 



the translation of the ark to Sion, and the services of the tabernacle, yet 
does, under those figures, treat of Christ's resurrection, his going up on 
high, leading captivity captive, pouring out the gifts of the Spirit, erecting 
his church in the world, and enlarging it by the accession of the nations 
to the faith ; as will be evident to any one, who considers the force and 
consequence of the apostle's citation from it, Eph. iv. 7, 8. — " Unto every 
one is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Where- 
fore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, 
and gave gifts unto men." 

The 69th Psalm is five times referred to in the gospels, as being ut- 
tered by the prophet, in the person of Messiah. The imprecations, or 
rather predictions, at the latter end of it, are applied, Rom. xi. 9, 10. to 
the Jews ; and to Judas, Acts i. 20. where the 109th Psalm is also cited 
as prophetical of the sore judgments which should befall that arch traitor, 
and the wretched nation, of which he was an epitome. 

St. Matthew, informing us, chap. xiii. 34. that Jesus spake to the mul- 
titudes in parables, gives it as one reason why he did so, " that it might be 
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet; Ps. lxxviii. 2. I will open 
my mouth in a parable : I will utter things which have been kept secret 
from the foundation of the world." 

The 91st Psalm was applied, by the tempter, to Messiah: nor did our 
Lord object to the application, but only to the false inference, which his 
adversary suggested from it, Matt. iv. 6, 7. 

The 95th Psalm is explained at large in Heb. iii. and iv. as relative to 
the state and trial of Christians in the world, and to their attainment of 
the heavenly rest. 

The 1 1 0th Psalm is cited by Christ himself, Matt. xxii. 44, as treating 
of his exaltation, kingdom, and priesthood. 

The 117th Psalm, consisting only of two verses, is employed, Rom. xv. 
1 1 . to prove, that the Gentiles were one day to praise God for the mercies 
of redemption. 

The 22d verse of the 118th Psalm, " The stone which the builders 
refused," &c. is quoted six different times as spoken of our Saviour. 

And, lastly, " the fruit of David's body," which God is said, in the 
132d Psalm, to have promised that he would " place upon his throne," is 
asserted, Acts ii. 30. to be Jesus Christ. 

These citations, lying dispersed through the scriptures of the New 
Testament, are often suffered by common readers to pass unnoticed. 
And many others content themselves with saying, that they are made in 
a sense of accommodation, as passages may be quoted from poems or 
histories merely human, for the illustration of truths, of which their authors 
never thought. " And this (as a learned critic observes) is no fault, but 
rather a beauty in writing. A passage applied justly, and in a new sense, 
is ever pleasing to an ingenious reader, who loves to be agreeably sur- 
prised, and to see a likeness and pertinency, where he expected none. 
He has that surprise, which the Latin poet so poetically gives to the 
tree ! — 

" 'Miraturque novas frondes, et non sua poma.' " 
The readers, who have been accustomed to consider the New Testa- 
ment citations in this view of accommodation only, must perceive the 
necessity of such accommodation, at least, to adapt the use of the Psalms, 
as a part of divine service, to the times and circumstances of the gospel ; 



PREFACE. 



and cannot therefore reasonably object, upon their own principles, to the 
applications made in the following- sheets, for that purpose. But not to 
inquire, at present, whether passages are not sometimes cited in this 
manner, surely no one can attentively review the above-made collection of 
New Testament citations from the Book of Psalms, as they have been 
placed together before him, without perceiving, that the Psalms are 
written upon a divine, preconcerted, prophetical plan, and contain much 
more than, at first sight, they appear to do. They are beautiful without, 
but all glorious within, like " apples of gold in pictures, or net-work cases 
of silver." — Prov. xxv. 11. The brightness of the casket attracts our 
attention, till through it, upon a nearer approach, we discover its contents. 
And then, indeed, it may be said to have "no glory, by reason of the 
glory that so far excelleth." * Very delightful and profitable they are, in 
their literal and historical sense, which well repayeth all the pains taken 
to come at it. But that once obtained, a farther scene begins to open 
upon us, and all the blessings of the gospel present themselves to the eye 
of faith. So that the expositor is as a traveller ascending an eminence, 
neither unfruitful, nor unpleasant ; at the top of which, when he is arrived, 
he beholds, like Moses from the summit of Mount Nebo, a more lovely and 
extensive prospect lying beyond it, and stretching away to the utmost 
bounds of the everlasting hills. He sees valleys covered over with corn, 
blooming gardens, and verdant meadows, with flocks and herds feeding by 
rivers of water; till ravished with the sight, he cries out, as St. Peter did, 
at the view of his Master's glory, " It is good to be here ! " 

It would be unreasonable to suppose, that no parts of the Psalms may 
by us be spiritually applied, but such as are already expressly applied for 
us by the inspired writers. Let any man consider attentively a New- 
Testament citation ; then let him as carefully read over, with a view to it, 
the Psalm from which it is taken, and see if it will not serve him as a key 
wherewith to unlock the treasures of eternal wisdom ; if it will not " open 
his eyes," and show him " wonderful things " in God's law. When we 
are taught to consider one verse of a Psalm as spoken by Messiah, and 
there is no change of person, what can we conclude, but that he is the 
speaker through the whole ? In that case, the Psalm becomes at once as 
much transfigured, as the blessed person, supposed to be the subject of it, 
was, on Mount Tabor. And if Messiah be the speaker of one Psalm, what 
should hinder, but that another Psalm, where the same kind of scene is 
evidently described, and the same expressions are used, may be expounded 
in the same manner ? 

It is very justly observed by Dr. Allix, that " although the sense of 
near fifty Psalms be fixed and settled by divine authors, yet Christ and 
his apostles did not undertake to quote all the Psalms they could quote, 
but only to give a key to their hearers, by which they might apply to the 
same subjects the Psalms of the same composure and expression."t The 
citations in the New Testament were made incidentally, and as occasion 
was given. But can we imagine, that the church was not farther in- 
structed in the manner of applying the Psalms to her Redeemer, and to 
herself? Did she stop at the applications thus incidentally and occasion- 
ally made by the inspired writers ? Did she stop, because they had di- 
rected her how to proceed ? We know she did not. The primitive fathers, 
it is true, for want of critical learning, and particularly a competent 
* 2 Cor. iii. 10. t Preface to his Book of Psalms, p. 9. 



xii 



PREFACE. 



knowledge of the original Hebrew, often wandered in their expositions ? 
but they are unexceptionable witnesses to us of this matter of fact, that 
such a method of expounding the Psalms, built upon the practice of the 
apostles in their writings and preachings, did universally prevail in the 
church from the beginning. They, who have ever looked into St. Augus- 
tin, know, that he pursues this plan invariably, treating of the Psalms, 
as proceeding from the mouth of Christ, or of the church, or of both, 
considered as one mystical person. The same is true of Jerom, Ambrose, 
Arnobius, Cassiodore, Hilary, and Prosper. Chrysostom studies to make 
the Psalter useful to believers under the gospel. Theodoret attends both 
to the literal and prophetical sense. But what is very observable, Ter- 
tullian, who flourished at the beginning of the third century, mentions it, 
as if it were then an allowed point in the church, that " almost all the 
Psalms are spoken in the person of Christ, being addressed by the Son 
to the Father, that is, by Christ to God."* In this channel flows the 
stream of the earliest Christian expositors. Nor' did they depart, in this 
point, from the doctrine held in the church of the ancient Jews, who were 
always taught to regard Messiah as the capital object of the Psalter. 
And though, when the time came, that people would not receive Jesus of 
Nazareth as their Messiah; it does not appear that they ever objected to 
the propriety of the citations made by our Lord and his apostles, or 
thought such passages applicable to David only and his concerns. Nay, 
the most learned of their Rabbies, who have written since the commence- 
ment of the Christian era, still agree with us in referring many of the 
Psalms to Messiah and his kingdom ; differing only about the person of 
the one, and the nature of the other. 

When learning arose, as it were, from the dead, in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, and the study of primitive theology by that means revived, the 
spiritual interpretation of the scriptures revived with it. It was adopted, 
at that time, by one admirably qualified to do it justice, and to recommend 
it again to the world, by every charm of genius, and every ornament of 
language. I mean the accomplished Erasmus, who omitteth no oppor- 
tunity of insisting on the usefulness and even the necessity of it, for the 
right understanding of the scriptures ; for the attainment of that wisdom 
which they teach, and that holiness which they prescribe ; seeming to 
think himself never better employed, than when he is removing the earth 
and rubbish, with which those Philistines, the monks, had stopped up the 
wells of salvation, opened by the apostles and first fathers of the church, 
for the benefit of mankind. + This great man was much importuned by 
his learned friends, as he informeth us in an epistle to Cardinal Sadolet, 
to write a Commentary on the Psalms.! Such a work, executed by him, 
had been one of the richest gifts that were ever cast into the Christian- 
treasury : as we may judge from the specimen which he hath left us, in 

* Omnes pene Psalmi Christi personam sustinent, Filium ad Patrem, id est, 

Christum ad Deum verba facientem repraesentant. 

t Enchirid. Mil. Christ, in Praefat. Canon. 5. et passim. 

|Lib.xxv.Epist.ll. Edit. Froben. 10085. Edit. Cler. Non semel rogatus sum 
quum ab aliis, turn ab Anglorum Pvege, ut in omnes Psalmos ederem Commentarios ; 
sed deterrebant me quum alia multa, turn ilia duo potissimum quod viderem hoc argu- 
mentum vix posse pro dignitate tractari, nisi quis calleat Hebraeorum literas, atque 
etiam antiquitates ; partim quod verebar ne turba Commentariorum obscuraretur Sermo 
Propheticus, citius quam illustraretur. 



PREFACE. 



xiii 



his discourses on eleven of them. Some of these were drawn up with a 
view to enlarge upon the transactions of the times ; and in all of them he is 
more diffuse and luxuriant, than, it is to be presumed, he would have been, 
in a general exposition. But they abound with rich variety of sacred learn- 
ing, communicated in a manner ever pleasing and ever instructive. If at 
any time he takes us out of the road, it is to show us a fine country, and we 
are still in company with Erasmus. He considers a Psalm, as it may relate 
to Christ, either suffering or triumphant; as it may concern the church, 
whether consisting of Jews or Gentiles, whether in adversity or prosperity, 
.through the several stages and periods of its existence; and as it may be ap- 
plicable to the different states and circumstances of individuals, during 
the trials and temptations which they meet with, in the course of their 
Christian pilgrimage and warfare here below, till, having overcome their 
last enemy, they shall sit down with their Lord in his kingdom; when the 
scheme of prophecy shall receive its final accomplishment, and " the 
mystery of God be finished."* 

It is obvious that every part of the Psalter, when explicated according 
to this scriptural and primitive method, is rendered universally " profit- 
able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- 
ness;" and the propriety immediately appears of its having always been 
used, in the devotional way, both by the Jewish and the Christian church. 
With regard to the Jews, Bishop Chandler very pertinently remarks, that 
" they must have understood David their prince to have been a figure of 
Messiah. They would not otherwise have made his Psalms part of their 
daily worship, nor would David have delivered them to the church to be 
so employed, were it not to instruct and support them in the knowledge 
and belief of this fundamental article. Was the Messias not concerned 
in the Psalms, it were absurd to celebrate, twice a day, in their public 
devotions, the events of one man's life, who was deceased so long ago, as 
to have no relation now to the Jews, and the circumstances of their affairs; 
or to transcribe whole passages from them into their prayers for the 
coming of the Messiah/'f Upon the same principle, it is easily seen, 
that the objections, which may seem to lie against the use of Jewish ser- 
vices, in Christian congregations, cease at once. Thus, it may be said, 
Are we concerned with the affairs of David and of Israel? Have we any 
thing to do with the ark and the temple? They are no more. Are we to 
go up to Jerusalem, and to worship on Sion ? They are desolated and 
trodden under foot by the Turks. Are we to sacrifice young bullocks, 
according to the law? The law is abolished, never to be observed again. 
Do we pray for victory over Moab, Edom, and Philistia ; or for deliverance 
from Babylon? There are no such nations, no such places in the world. 
What then do we mean, when, taking such expressions into our mouths, 
we utter them in our own persons, as parts of our devotions, before God ? 
Assuredly we must mean a spiritual Jerusalem and Sion: a spiritual ark 
and temple ; a spiritual law ; spiritual sacrifices ; and spiritual victories 
over spiritual enemies; all described under the old names, which are still 
retained, though "old things are passed away, and all things are become 
new."} By substituting Messiah for David, the gospel for the law, the 

* Rev. x. 7. t Defence of Christianity, part i. p. 241. 

% 2 Cor. v. 17. Ergo arrige aures, Christiane Lector, et ubi talia in Davide legeris 
tu mihi fac cogit es, non Arcam, fragile lignum, aut Tabernaculum contectum pelli- 



xiv 



PREFACE. 



church Christian for that of Israel, and the enemies of the one for those 
of the other, the Psalms are made our own. Nay, they are with more 
fulness and propriety applied now to the substance, than they were of 
old to the " shadow of good things then to come."* And therefore, ever 
since the commencement of the Christian era, the church hath chosen to 
celebrate the gospel mysteries in the words of these ancient hymns, rather 
than to compose for that purpose new ones of her own. For let it not 
pass unobserved, that, when upon the first publication of the gospel, the 
apostles had occasion to utter their transports of joy, on their being 
counted worthy to suffer for the name of their dear Lord and Master, 
which was then opposed by Jew and Gentile, they brake forth into an 
application of the 2d Psalm to the transactions then before their eyes. — 
See Acts iv. 25. The primitive Christians constantly followed this method 
in their devotions ; and, particularly, when delivered out of the hands 
of persecuting tyrants, by the victories of Constantine, they praised 
God for his goodness, and the glorious success and establishment of 
Christ's religion, no words were found so exquisitely adapted to the pur- 
pose, as those of David, in the 96th, 98th, and other Psalms — " Sing 
unto the Lord a new song : sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto 
the Lord, and praise his name ; be telling of his salvation from day to 
day. Declare his honour unto the heathen, his worship unto all people," 
&c. In these and the like Psalms, we continue to praise God, for all his 
spiritual mercies in Christ, to this day. 

The Psalms thus applied, have advantages, which no fresh composi- 
tions, however finely executed, can possibly have ; since, besides their 
incomparable fitness to express our sentiments, they are, at the same 
time, memorials of, and appeals to, former mercies and deliverances : they 
are acknowledgements of prophecies accomplished : they point out the 
connexion between the old and new dispensations, thereby teaching us to 
admire and adore the wisdom of God displayed in both, and furnishing, 
while we read or sing them, an inexhaustible variety of the noblest matter 
that can engage the contemplations of man. 

Why is the mind more than ordinarily affected, and either melted into 
sorrow, or transported with joy, when, on the days set apart for the com- 
memoration of our Saviour's birth, passion, resurrection, &c. the proper 
Psalms are read, which the church hath appointed, following herein the 
directions of evangelists and apostles, and the usage of the early ages ? 
Why, but because, by such appointment, we are necessarily put upon 
transferring our ideas from the complaints or exultations of David and 
Israel, to those of a suffering or glorified Messiah, of whose sufferings or 
glories we participate, as members of his mystical body ? And how much 
more intense would be the effect, if, in the sermons preached on those 
occasions, such proper Psalms were expounded to the people, and their 
propriety evinced, as it might easily be ! Discourses of this kind would 
make the hearts of the auditors to " burn within them," and men would 
cease to wonder, that three thousand Jews were converted to the faith, 
by St. Peter's animated discourse on part of the 16th Psalm. Were 
believers once brought well acquainted with these proper Psalms, they 

bus: non urbem 1< pidibus compositam: non Templum divinae Majestati angustum: 
sed Christi et Ecclesiae Sacramenta, sed vivos lapides, Christo angulari lapidi coaptatos : 
sed ipsam Eucharistiam prsesentis Dei testem ; denique coeleste regnum et aeternam 
felicitatem — Bossuet, Dissertat. de Psal. cap. i. ad. fin. $ Heb. x. 1. 



PREFACE. 



XV 



would be better enabled to study and apply the rest, which might likewise 
be explained to them, at different times, and certainly afford the finest 
subjects, on which a Christian orator can employ his eloquence. That 
this was done in the primitive church, we learn from the exposition of the 
Psalms left us by St. Chrysostom in the east, and St. Augustin in the 
west, those expositions still subsisting in the form of homilies, as deli- 
vered to their respective congregations. Is it not to be feared, that, for 
want of such instructions, the repetition of the Psalms, as performed by 
multitudes, is but one degree above mechanism? And is it not a melan- 
choly reflection to be made at the close of a long life, that, after reciting 
them, at proper seasons, through the greatest part of it, no more should 
be known of their true meaning and application, than when the Psalter 
was first taken in hand at school ? 

Many sensible and well disposed persons, therefore, who, when they 
read or sing the Psalms, desire to read and to sing " with the spirit and 
the understanding," have long called for a commentary which might 
enable them to do so; which might not only explain the literal sense of 
these divine compositions, and show how they may be accommodated to our 
temporal affairs, as members of civil society:* but might also unfold the 
mysteries of the kingdom of God, which are involved in them, and teach 
their application to us, as members of that spiritual and heavenly society, 
of which Christ Jesus is the head, and for whose use, in every age, they 
were intended by their omniscient Author. A work of this kind, though 
often desired, has never yet been executed upon any regular and consist- 
ent plan. The survey of a province in Theology, hitherto almost unoc- 
cupied among the moderns, which promised a great deal of pleasing as 
well as profitable employment, gave birth to the attempt which hath been 
made to cultivate it, in the ensuing Commentary; in which the author has 
only endeavoured to evince, by an induction of particulars, the truth of 
what so many learned and good men have asserted in general, concerning 
the prophetical or evangelical import of the Psalter. Dr. Hammond, in 
the preface to his Annotations, tells us, he chose to leave every man to 
make applications of this kind for himself, finding he had work enough 
upon his hands in the literal way. But so much having been done by 
him, and other able critics, in that way, it seems to be now time that 
something should be done in the other, and some directions given, in a 
case, where directions cannot but be greatly wanted. 

Very few of the Psalms, comparatively, appear to be simply propheti- 
cal, and to belong only to Messiah, without the intervention of any other 
person. Most of them, it is apprehended, have a double sense, which 
stands upon this ground and foundation, that the ancient patriarchs, pro- 
phets, priests, and kings, were typical characters, in their several offices, 
and in the more remarkable passages of their lives, their extraordinary 
depressions, and miraculous exaltations, foreshowing Him who was to 
arise, as the head of the holy Family, the great Prophet, the true Priest, 

* A concern for the present peace and prosperity of the world, and of that kingdom 
in it to which we "belong, ought ever to he entertained and cherished hy the most 
exalted Christian. And if this part of the subject should, at any time, in the following 
work, appear to be but slightly touched upon, the reason is, hecause it lies ohvious 
upon the surface, and has heen so frequently inculcated hy other expositors. Nor are 
mankind indeed so liahle to forget the relation they hear to the world, as they are to 
overlook that which suhsists hetween them and their Creator and Redeemer. 



xvi 



PREFACE. 



the everlasting King. The Israelitish polity, and the law of Moses, were 
purposely framed after the example and shadow of things spiritual and 
heavenly; and the events, which happened to the ancient people of God, 
were designed to shadow our parallel occurrences, which should after- 
ward take place, in the accomplishment of man's redemption, and the 
rise and progress of the Christian church. For this reason, the Psalms 
composed for the use of Israel, and Israel's monarch, and by them ac- 
cordingly used at the time, do admit of an application to us, who are 
now " the Israel of God/'* and to our Redeemer, who is the King of this 
Israel. f 

Nor will this seem strange to us, if we reflect, that the same divine 
person, who inspired the Psalms, did also foreknow and predispose all 
the events, of which he intended them to treat. And hence it is evident, 
that the spiritual sense is, and must be, peculiar to the scriptures ; because 
of those persons and transactions only, which are there mentioned and 
recorded, can it be affirmed for certain, that they were designed to be 
figurative. And should any one attempt to apply the narrative of Alex- 
ander's expedition by Quintus Curtius, or the Commentaries of Caesar, as 
the New Testament writers have done, and taught us to do, the histories 
of the Old, he would find himself unable to proceed three steps with con- 
sistency and propriety. The argument, therefore, which would infer the 
absurdity of supposing the scriptures to have a spiritual sense, from the 
acknowledged absurdity of supposing histories or poems merely human to 
have it, is inconclusive; the sacred writings differing, in this respect, from 
all other writings in the world, as much as the nature of the transactions 
which they relate differs from that of all other transactions, and the author 
who relates them differs from all other authors. 

" This double or secondary sense of prophecy, was so far from giving 
offence to Lord Bacon, that he speaks of it with admiration, as one 
striking argument of its divinity. In sorting the prophecies of scripture 
with their events, we must allow, says he, for that latitude, which is 
agreeable and familiar unto divine prophecies, being of the nature of 
the Author, with whom a thousand years are but as one day; and there- 
fore they are not fulfilled punctually at once, but have springing and 
germinent accomplishment through many ages, though the height, or 
fulness of them, may refer to some one age. 

" But, that we may not mistake, or pervert this fine observation of our 
great philosopher, it may be proper to take notice, that the reason of it 
holds in such prophecies only as respect the several successive parts of 
one system ; which being intimately connected together, may be supposed 
to come within the view and contemplation of the same prophecy; whereas 
it would be endless, and one sees not on what grounds of reason we are 
authorized to look out for the accomplishment of prophecy, in any casual 
unrelated events of general history. The scripture speaks of prophecy, as 
respecting Jesus, that is, as being one connected scheme of providence, of 
which the Jewish dispensation makes a part; so that here we are led to 
expect that springing and germinent accomplishment, which is mentioned. 

* Gal. vi. 16. 

t That expressions and descriptions in human writings are often so framed as to 
admit of a double sense, without an impropriety or confusion, is shown by the very 
learned Mr. Merrick, in his excellent Observations on Dr. Benson's Essay concerning 
the Unity of Sense, &c. subjoined to his Annotations on the Psalms 



PREFACE. 



XVII 



But, had the Jewish law been complete in itself, and totally unrelated to 
the Christian, the general principle — that a thousand years are with God 
but as one day — would no more justify us in extending' a Jewish prophecy 
to Christian events, because perhaps it was eminently fulfilled in them, than 
it would justify us in extending it to any other signally corresponding 
events whatsoever. It is only when the prophet hath one uniform con- 
nected design before him, that we are authorized to use this latitude of in- 
terpretation. For then the prophetic spirit naturally runs along the several 
parts of such design, and unites the remotest events with the nearest: the 
style of the prophet, in the mean time, so adapting itself to this double 
prospect, as to paint the near and subordinate events in terms that empha- 
tically represent the distant and more considerable. So that, with this 
explanation, nothing can be more just or philosophical, than the idea 
which Lord Bacon suggests, of divine prophecy. 

" The great scheme of redemption, we are now considering, being the 
only scheme in the plan of Providence, which, as far as we know, hath 
been prepared and dignified by a continued system of prophecy, at least 
this being the only scheme to which we have seen a prophetic system ap- 
plied, men do not readily apprehend the doctrine of double senses in pro- 
phecy, as they would do, if they saw it exemplified in other cases. But 
what the history of mankind does not supply, we may represent to our- 
selves by many obvious suppositions; which cannot justify, indeed, such 
a scheme of things, but may facilitate the conception of it."* 

In allegories framed by man, the groundwork is generally fiction, f be- 
cause of the difficulty of finding one true series of facts, which shall exactly 
represent another. But the great Disposer of events, " known unto whom 
are all his works," from the beginning to the end of time, was able to effect 
this : and the scripture allegories are therefore equally true in the letter 
and in the spirit of them. The events signifying, no less than those sig- 
nified, really happened, as they are said to have done. J Why the alle- 
gories of this most perfect form, with which the book of God abounds, and 
which are all pregnant with truths of the highest import, should be treated 
with neglect and contempt, while the imperfect allegories of man's devising 
are universally sought after and admired, as the most pleasing and effica- 
cious method of conveying instruction, it is not easy to say. Why should 
it not afford a believer as much delight, to contemplate the lineaments of 
his Saviour, portrayed in one of the patriarchs, as to be informed, that the 
character of lapis was designed by Virgil to adumbrate that of Antonius 
Musa, physician to Augustus? Or why should not a discourse upon the 
redemption of the church, as foreshadowed by the Exodus of Israel, have 
as many admirers among Christians, as a dissertation, however, ingeni- 

* Bishop Hurd's excellent Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies. Serm. iii. 

t I say " generally," since, as the above-cited Mr. Merrick justly observes, " It 
is possible, for example, in a complimental address to a modern statesman or general, 
to relate the actions of some ancient patriot, of the same character, in such a manner, 
tbat the parallel, intended to be drawn between them, shall be readily known, and the 
praises expressly bestowed on the one, be transferred, by the reader's own application, 
to the other." 

t Neque propterea ab historico, sive literali atque immediato, ut aiunt, sensu aber- 
rare nos oportet: quin eo erit clarior et fundatior secretions illius intelligentiae sen- 
sus, quo typum ipsum, hoc est, historiam ac literam figemus certius.-— Bossuet, Dis- 
sertat. in Psal. ad finem. 

b 



XV in 



PREFACE. 



ously composed, on the descent of iEneas to the infernal regions, consi- 
dered as typical of an initiation into the Eleusinian mysteries ? 

A learned, judicious, and most elegant writer of the present age, hath 
stated and illustrated the subject we are now upon, with a felicity of 
thought and expression peculiar to himself. I shall endeavour to gratify 
the English reader with a view of his sentiments. The beauties of his 
language are not to be translated. 

" It would be an arduous and adventurous undertaking to attempt to 
lay down the rules observed in the conduct of the mystic allegory; so diverse 
are the modes in which the Holy Spirit has thought proper to communicate 
his counsels to different persons upon different occasions ; inspiring and 
directing the minds of the prophets according to his good pleasure ; at one 
time vouchsafing more full and free discoveries of future events ; while, at 
another, he is more obscure and sparing in his intimations. From hence, 
of course, arise th a great variety in the scripture usage of this kind of alle- 
gory, as to the manner in which the spiritual sense is couched under the other. 
Sometimes it can hardly break forth and show itself at intervals through 
the literal, which meets the eye as the ruling sense, and seems to have taken 
entire possession of the words and phrases. On the contrary, it is much 
oftener the capital figure in the piece, and stands confessed at once by such 
splendour of language, that the latter, in its turn, is thrown into shades, 
and almost totally disappears. Sometimes it shines with a constant equ- 
able light; and sometimes it darts upon us on a sudden, like a flash of 
lightning from the clouds. But a composition is never more truly elegant 
and beautiful, than when the two senses, alike conspicuous, run parallel 
together through the whole poem, mutually corresponding with, and illus- 
trating each other. I will produce an undoubted instance or two of this 
kind, which will show my meaning, and confirm what has hitherto been 
advanced on the subject of the mystic allegory. 

" The establishment of David upon his throne, notwithstanding the op- 
position made to it by his enemies, is the subject of the second Psalm. 
David sustains in it a twofold character, literal and allegorical. If we 
read over the Psalm first with an eye to the literal David, the meaning is 
obvious, and put out of all dispute by the sacred history. There is indeed 
an uncommon glow in the expression, and sublimity in the figures, and the 
diction is now and then exaggerated, as it were, on purpose to intimate, 
and lead us to the contemplation of higher and more important matters 
concealed within. In compliance with this admonition, if we take another 
survey of the Psalm, as relative to the person and concerns of the spiritual 
David, a nobler series of events instantly rises to view, and the meaning 
becomes more evident, as well as exalted. The colouring, which may per- 
haps seem too bold and glaring for the king of Israel, will no longer appear 
so, when laid upon his great Antitype. After we have thus attentively 
considered the subjects apart, let us look at them together, and we shall 
behold the full beauty and majesty of this most charming poem. We shall 
perceive the two senses very distinct from each other, yet conspiring in 
perfect harmony, and bearing a wonderful resemblance in every feature 
and lineament, while the analogy between them is so exactly preserved, that 
either may pass for the original, from whence the other was copied. New 
light is continually cast upon the phraseology, fresh weight and dignity 
are added to the sentiment, till gradually ascending from things below to 
things above, from human affairs to those which are divine, they bear the 



PREFACE. 



great, important theme upwards with them, and at length place it in the 
height and brightness of heaven. 

" What hath been observed with regard to this Psalm, may also be ap- 
plied to the 72d; the subject of which is of the same kind, and treated in 
the same manner. Its title might be, The Inauguration of Solomon. The 
scheme of the allegory is alike in both ; but a diversity of matter occasions 
an alteration in the diction. For whereas one is employed in celebrating 
the magnificent triumphs of victory, it is the design of the other to draw a 
pleasing picture of peace, and of that felicity, which is her inseparable at- 
tendant. The style is therefore of a more even and temperate sort, and 
more richly ornamented. It aboundeth not with those sudden changes of 
the person speaking, which dazzle and astonish ; but the imagery is bor- 
rowed from the delightful scenes with which creation cheers the sight, and 
the pencil of the divine Artist is dipped in the softer colours of nature. 
And here we may take notice how peculiarly adapted to the genius of this 
kind of allegory the parabolical style is, on account of that great variety 
of natural images to be found in it. For as these images are capable of 
being employed in the illustration of things divine and human, between 
which there is a certain analogy maintained, so they easily afford that 
ambiguity which is necessary in this species of composition, where the 
language is applicable to each sense, and obscure in neither ; it compre- 
hends both parts of the allegory, and may be clearly and distinctly refer- 
red to one or the other."* 

The scheme of exposition so beautifully delineated, and illustrated in 
two instances by this truly valuable author, has been extended, in theory, 
by another learned writer, to a great part of the Psalter ; and that upon a 
principle deduced from the attributes of God, and the nature and design of 
the divine dispensations ; though his own labours, like those of Dr. Hammond, 
were employed chiefly in literal criticism. His reasoning is as follows : — 

" In this point (namely, the application of the Psalms to the mysteries 
of the gospel) I am very clear. The Jews, only, as a nation, acknow- 
ledged the one supreme God, under the name of Jehovah; they must be 
therefore his peculiar people. There is nothing capricious in this: they 
are correlates, and of necessity answer reciprocally to each other. Hence 
that singular intercourse between God and them. Hence, among other 
instances of his favour, his communication of himself to them by superna- 
tural ways of oracle, inspiration, &c. When the acknowledgment of the 
one God branched itself, from this Jewish stock, over the face of the earth, 
and by that means he was become the God of all mankind, they must all, 
for the same reason, become his people. As God is ever the same, and his 
doings uniform, his conduct toward mankind must exactly be proportioned 
to his conduct toward the Jewish nation. Let us therefore place God in 
common over them both ; and there will be — on one side, the Jewish na- 
tion ; and on the other, mankind : on one side, Canaan, and a national 
prosperity; on the other, heaven, and human happiness: on one side, a 
redemption from Egyptian servitude, and national evils; on the other, a 
redemption of the whole human race from absolute evil : on one side, na- 
tional crimes atoned by national ceremonies, sacrifices, priests ; on the 
other, sins expiated by one universal sacrifice of Jesus Christ : on one 
side, national and temporary saviours, kings, prophets, &c. on the other, 
all this, universal and eternal: on one side, the law, and every branch of it, 



* Bishop Lowth on the Hebrew Poetry. Lect. xi. 
b 2 



XX 



PREFACE. 



adapted to a favourite nation ; on the other, the everlasting gospel, suited 
to all mankind. It is impossible, therefore, that God can say any thing to 
•David, under the quality of king of this chosen nation, which he does not 
speak, at the same time, to Jesus Christ, as King of all the elect; and 
that in a truer and nobler sense. To each of them he speaks in a sense 
adapted to the nature of their respective kingdoms. Nor is this latter a 
bare accommodation of words, but the first and highest meaning of them, 
and which only, absolutely speaking, can be the true sense of God ; the 
other being this sense, confined to a particular circumstance ; in other 
words, an absolute truth, made history, and matter of fact. This is a prin- 
ciple, which shows, that, far from denying the Christian application, I 
consider the literal and historical sense only as a kind of vehicle for it."* 

Upon this plan it is, that many of the Psalms are interpreted in the 
following sheets. 

In such of them as were written by David, and treat of his affairs, that 
extraordinary person is considered as an illustrious representative of 
Messiah, who is more than once foretold under the name of David, and to 
whom are applied, in the New Testament, Psalms which do undoubtedly, 
in the letter of them, relate to David, and were composed On occasion of 
particular occurrences which befell him ; a circumstance in theology, to 
be accounted for upon no other principle. 

When, therefore, he describeth himself as one hated and persecuted 
without a cause ; as one accused of crimes which he never committed, 
and suffering for sins, the very thoughts of which he abhorred; as one 
whose life was imbittered by affliction, and his soul overwhelmed with 
sorrows ; yet, withal, as one whom no troubles could induce to renounce 
his trust and confidence in the promises of God concerning him, when he 
repeateth his resolutions of adhering to the divine law, setting forth its 
various excellencies, and the comforts which it afforded him in the days of 
adversity; when he complaineth of that implacable malice, and unrelent- 
ing fury with which he was pursued by Saul and his attendants, by Doeg 
the Edomite, by rebellious Absalom, traitorous Ahithophel, &c. and when, 
contrary to all appearances, he predicteth their destruction, with his own 
final exaltation; in expounding the Psalms of this cast and complexion, 
it hath been my endeavour to direct the readers thoughts to parallel cir- 
cumstances, which present themselves in the history of the true David ; 
his sorrows and sufferings; his resignation under them all; his obedience 
to the will of his Father; the temper and behaviour of his betrayers and 
murderers; the prophecies of judgments to be inflicted upon them, and 
of glory to be conferred upon him. As the Psalter was the liturgy of the 
Jewish church, of which our Lord was a member, and to which he there- 
fore entirely conformed, during his abode and humiliation upon earth, he 
might pour forth his complaints, and " offer up his prayers and suppli- 
cations, with strong crying and tears,"f in the very words which his pro- 
genitor David had before used under his own troubles, but which were given 
by inspiration, with a view to the case of that blessed person, whom, in 
those troubles he had the honour to prefigure. 

Other Psalms there are, which disclose far different scenes. In them, 
the sorrows of David are at an end, and the day of his deliverance hath 

* Preface to an Essay toward a New English Version of the Book of Psalms, by 
the Reverend Mr. Mudge. t Heb. v. 7. 



PREFACE. 



XXI 



already dawned. The heavens are opened, and Jehovah appeareth in the 
cause of his afflicted servant. He descendeth from above, encompassed 
in clouds and darkness, preceded by fire and hail, proclaimed by thunder 
and earthquake, and attended by lightnings and whirlwinds. The moun- 
tains smoke, and the rocks melt before him; the foundations of the globe 
are uncovered, and the deep from beneath is moved at his presence. The 
adversary is dismayed and confounded ; opposition, in the height of its 
career, feels the blast through all its powers, and instantly withers away. 
The anointed of God, according to his original designation, is at length 
elevated to the throne; his sceptre is extended over the nations; the 
temple is planned by him, and erected by his Son ; the services of religion 
are appointed in perfect order and beauty; Jerusalem becometh a praise 
in all the earth ; and the kingdom is established in honour, peace, and 
felicity. If in Psalms of the former kind the holy Jesus might behold 
those persecutions and sufferings, under which he was to be humbled, and 
to mourn during his pilgrimage here below; in Psalms of this latter sort, 
he might strengthen and console himself as a man, " touched with the 
feeling of our infirmities, and tempted in all points like as we are," by 
viewing " the glory that should follow :" by contemplating the manifesta- 
tion of the Father in favour of his beloved Son ; his own joyful resurrec- 
tion, triumphant ascension, and magnificent inauguration; the conversion 
of the world and the establishment of the church ; events, which were 
foreshadowed by those above mentioned ; and to which when the strongest 
expressions made use of by the divine Psalmist are applied, they will no 
longer appear hyperbolical; especially if we bear in mind, that these 
prophetic descriptions wait for their full and final accomplishment at that 
day, when the mystical " body of Christ," having " filled up that which 
is behind of his afflictions,"* shall also, amidst the pangs and convulsions 
of departing nature, arise from the dead, and ascend into heaven ; where 
all the members of that body, which have been afflicted and have mourn- 
ed with their Lord and Master, shall be comforted and glorified together 
with him.f 

In some of the Psalms David appears as one suffering for his sins. 
When man speaks of sin, he speaks of what is his own ; and therefore, 
every Psalm, where sin is confessed to be the cause of sorrow, belongs 
originally and properly to us, as fallen sons of Adam, like David, and all 
other men. This is the case of the fifty-first, and the rest of those which 
are styled Penitential Psalms, and have always been used in the church, 
as such. Sometimes, indeed, it happens, that we meet with heavy com- 
plaints of the number and burden of sins, in Psalms, from which passages 
are quoted in the New Testament, as uttered by our Redeemer, and in 
which there seems to be no change of person, from beginning to end. We 

* Col. i. 24. 

t Neque prsetermittendum illud Augustini passim; tunc Psalmos videri suavissi- 
mos, ac divinissima luce perfusos, cum in his caput et membra, Christum et Ecclesiam, 
sive aperte propalatos, sive latenter designates intelligimus— Quare iterum atque 
iterum erigamus animos : atque ubi Davidem atque Solomonem ; ubi Davidis hostes, 
Saiilem, Achitophelem, alios ; ubi bella et pacem, captivitatem, libertatem, ac caetera 
ejusmodi audimus ; turn animo infigamus Christum, et Ecclesiam laboribus periculisque 
exercitam, atque inter adversa etprospera peregrinantem ; turn sanctorum persecutores, 
non modo visibiles, sed etiam invisibles illas atque aereas potestates, pugnasque in 
hac vita perpetes, ac secuturam posted pacem sempiternam. — Bossuet, Dissertat. in 
Psalm, ad fin. 



XXII 



PREPACK. 



are assured, for instance, by the apostle, Heb. x. 5. that the sixth, seventh, 
and eighth verses of the fortieth Psalm, — " Sacrifice and offering thou 
didst not desire," &c. — are spoken by Messiah, coming to abolish the legal 
sacrifices, by the oblation of himself once for all. The same person, to 
appearance, continues speaking, and, only three verses after, complains 
in the following terms: — " Innumerable evils have compassed me about, 
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look 
up: they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart faileth 
me." So again, there are no less than five quotations from different parts 
of the sixty-ninth Psalm, all concurring to inform us, that Christ is the 
speaker through that whole Psalm. Yet the fifth verse of it runs thus: — 
** O God thou knowest my foolishness, and my tzDttfK guiltiness is not hid 
from thee." The solution of this difficulty given, and continually insisted 
on, in the writings of the fathers, is this; that Christ, in the day of his 
passion, standing charged with the sin and guilt of his people, speaks of 
such their sin and guilt, as if they were his own, appropriating to himself 
those debts, for which, in the capacity of a surety, he had made himself 
responsible. The lamb which, under the law, was offered for sin, took the 
name tzittfN " guilt," because the guilt contracted by the offerer was trans- 
ferred to that innocent creature, and typically expiated by its blood.* 
Was not this exactly the case, in truth and reality, with the Lamb of God ? 
" He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; but he bare our 
sins in his own body on the tree.f He was made sin for us, who knew 
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."! Christ 
and the church compose one mystical person, of which he is the head, and 
the church the body; and as the body speaks by the head, and the head 
for the body, he speaks of her sin, and she of his righteousness ; which 
consideration is at the same time a key to any claims of righteousness 
made in the Psalms by her, and to any confession of sin made by him. 
This seems to be a satisfactory account of the matter. Such, at least, 
appears to have been the idea generally adopted and received, in the first 
ages of the Christian church; a circumstance which, it is presumed, will 
be deemed a sufficient apology for the author, if, in the explication of such 
passages, he hath ventured to proceed accordingly. Nay, and even in 
reciting the Penitential Psalms, when the unhappy sufferer is ready to sink 
down under that weight of woe which sin hath laid upon him, if he will 
extend his thoughts, as he is sometimes directed to do, to that holy and 
most innocent person, who felt and sorrowed so much for us all, he will 
thereby furnish himself with the best argument for patience, and an in 
exhaustible source of comfort. Nor, can it indeed, well be imagined, 
that our blessed Lord, as a member of the Jewish church, and an attendant 
on the service of the synagogue, though conscious to himself of no sin, 
did not frequently join with his " brethren according to the flesh," in the 
repetition of the Penitential as well as the other Psalms, on the days of 
humiliation and expiation, when the use of them might be prescribed. If, 
from his circumcision to his crucifixion, he " bare our sins in his own 
body;" why should it be thought strange, that he should confess them, on 
our behalf, with his own mouth ? 

The offence taken at the supposed uncharitable and vindictive spirit of 
the imprecations, which occur in some of the Psalms, ceases immediately, 



* See Lev. v. 6. 



t 1 Pet. ii. 22. 



t 2 Cor. v. 21. 



PR1.FACE. 



xxiii 



if we change the imperative for the future, and read, not " let them be 
confounded, &c. but " they shall be confounded," &c. of which the He- 
brew is equally capable. Such passages will then have no more difficulty 
in them, than the other frequent predictions of divine vengeance in the 
writings of the prophets, or denunciations of it in the gospels, intend- 
ed to warn, to alarm, and to lead sinners to repentance, that they may 
fly from the wrath to come. This is Dr. Hammond's observation ; who 
very properly remarks, at the same time, that in many places of this sort, 
as particularly in Psalm cix. (and the same may be said of Psalm lxix.) 
it is reasonable to resolve, that Christ himself speaketh in the prophet; 
as being the person there principally concerned, and the completion most 
signal in many circumstances there mentioned; the succession especially 
of Matthias to the apostleship of Judas. It is true, that in the citation 
made by St. Peter from Psalm cix. in Acts i. 20. as also, in that made 
by St. Paul from Psalm lxix. in Rom. xi. 9. the imperative form is pre- 
served; "Let his habitation be void," &c. " Let their table be made 
a snare," &c. But it may be considered, that the apostles generally cited 
from the Greek of the lxx. version; and took it as they found it, making 
no alteration, when the passage, as it there stood, was sufficient to prove 
the main point which it was adduced to prove. If the imprecatory form 
be still contended for, all that can be meant by it, whether uttered by the 
prophet, by Messiah, or by ourselves, must be a solemn ratification of 
the just judgments of the Almighty against his impenitent enemies, like 
what we find ascribed to the blessed spirits in heaven, when such judg- 
ments were executed. Rev. xi. 17, 18. xvi. 5 — 7. See Merrick's Anno- 
tations on PsalnTcix. and Witsii Miscellan. Sacr. lib. i. cap. xviii. sect. 
24. But, by the future rendering of the verbs, every possible objection 
is precluded at once. This method has therefore been adopted in the en- 
suing Commentary. 

Of the Psalms which relate to Israel, some are employed in celebrating 
the mercies vouchsafed them, from their going forth out of Egypt, to their 
complete settlement in Canaan. These were the constant standing sub- 
jects of praise and thanksgiving in the Israelitish church. But we are 
taught by the writers of the New Testament, to consider this part of their 
history as one continual figure, or allegory. We are told, that there is 
another spiritual Israel of God; other children of Abraham, and heirs of 
the promise: another circumcision; another Egypt from the bondage of 
which they are redeemed ; another wilderness, through which they journey; 
other dangers and difficulties, which there await them; other bread from 
heaven, for their support ; and another rock to supply them with living 
water; other enemies to overcome; another land of Canaan, and an- 
other Jerusalem, which they are to obtain, and to possess for ever. In the 
same light are to be viewed the various provocations and punishments, 
captivities, and restorations, of old Israel afterwards, concerning which 
it is likewise true, that they " happened unto them for ensamples," types,* 
or figures, " and were written for our admonition."f Care has, there- 
fore, been taken, to open and apply, for that salutary purpose, the Psalms 
which treat of the above-mentioned particulars. 

What is said in the Psalms occasionally of the law and it ceremonies, 
sacrifices, ablutions, and purifications; of the tabernacle and temple, with 



* Gr. Turcot' 



t 1 Cor. x. 11. 



xxiv 



PREFACE. 



the services therein performed; and of the Aaronical priesthood; all tin's 
Christians transfer to the new law; to the oblation of Christ; to justifi- 
cation by his blood, and sanctification by his Spirit; to the true taber- 
nacle, or temple, not made with hands; and to what was therein done for 
the salvation of the world, by Him who was, in one respect, a Sacrifice; 
ir another, a Temple ; and a third, an high Priest for ever, after the order 
of Melchisedek. That such was the intention of these legal figures, 
is declared at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews : and they are of great 
assistance to us now, in forming our ideas of the realities to which they 
correspond. " Under the Jewish economy,'' says the excellent Mr. Pascal, 
" truth appeared but in figure; in heaven it is open, and without a veil ; 
in the church militant it is so veiled, as to be yet discerned by its corres- 
pondence to the figure. As the figure was first built upon the truth, so 
the truth is now distinguishable by the figure." The variety of strong 
expressions used by David, in the 19th, and the 119th Psalms, to extol 
the enlivening, saving, healing, comforting efficacy of a law, which, in the 
letter of it, whether ceremonial or moral, without pardon and grace, could 
minister nothing but condemnation, do sufficiently prove, that David 
understood the spirit of it, which was the gospel itself.* And if any, 
who recited those Psalms, had not the same idea, it was not the fault of 
the Law, or of the Psalms, of Moses, or of David, or of him who inspired 
both, but it was their own; as it is that of the Jews at this hour, though 
their prophecies have now been fulfilled, and their types realized. " He 
that takes his estimate of the Jewish religion from the grossness of the 
Jewish multitude," as the last-cited author observes, " cannot fail of ma- 
king a very wrong judgment. It is to be sought for in th'e sacred writings 
of the prophets, who have given us sufficient assurance, that they under- 
stood the law not according to the letter. Our religion, in like manner, 
is true and divine in the gospels, and in the preaching of the apostles; 
but it appears utterly disfigured in those who maim or corrupt it." 

Besides the figures supplied by the history of Israel, and by the law, 
there is another set of images often employed in the Psalms, to describe 
the blessings of redemption. These are borrowed from the natural world , 
the manner of its original production, and the operations continually 
carried on in it. The visible works of God are formed to lead us, under 
the direction of his word, to a knowledge of those which are invisible; 

* Haec inter, veri et spirituales Judaei, hoc est, ante Christum Christi discipuli, 
altiora cogitabant, et rerum coelestium Sacramenta venerati, novam Jerusalem, novum 
Templum, novam Arcam intuebantur. — Bossuet, Dissertat. in Psal. cap. i. Lex, juxta 
Spiritum accepta, ipsum erat Evangelium, sub veteribus figuris delitescens, et ceremo- 
niarum velis ob tectum, ab ipso quidem Mose (imprimis in Deuteronomio) aliquatenus 
et pro temporum ratione explicatum, a prophetis vero succedentibus (ut visum est 
Divinas Sapiential) dilucidius ostensum, demum a Christo et Apostolis plenissime et 
luce ipso Sole clariori patefactum — Bulli, Opera per Grabe, p. 614. If the Jews, as 
our Saviour tells them, " thought they had eternal life in their scriptures," they must 
needs have understood them in a spiritual sense : and I know not what other spiritual 
sense, that should lead them to the expectation of eternal life, they could put on theii 
scriptures, but that prophetic or typical sense, which respected the Messiah. Jesus 
expressly asserts, at the same time, that their " scriptures testified of Him." How 
generally they did so, he explained at large, in that remarkable conversation with two 
of his disciples after his resurrection; when " beginning at Moses and all the pro- 
phets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." 
Hurd's Introd. to the Study of the Prophecies, serin, ii. 



PREFACE. 



XXV 



they give us ideas, by analogy, of a new creation rising gradually, like 
the old one, out of darkness and deformity, until at length it arrives at 
the perfection of glory and beauty; so that while we praise the Lord for 
all the wonders of his power, wisdom, and love, displayed in a system 
which is to wax old and perish, we may therein contemplate, as in a glass, 
those new heavens, and that new earth, of whose duration there shall be 
no end.* The sun, that fountain of life and heart of the world, that 
bright leader of the armies of heaven, enthroned in glorious majesty; the 
moon shining with a lustre borrowed from his beams; the stars glittering 
by night in the clear firmament; the air giving breath to all things that 
live and move; the interchanges of light and darkness; the course of the 
year, and the sweet vicissitudes of seasons; the rain and the dew descend- 
ing from above, and the fruitfulness of the earth caused by them ; the 
bow bent by the hands of the Most High, which compasseth the heaven 
about with a glorious circle; the awful voice of thunder, and the piercing 
power of lightning ; the instincts of animals, + and the qualities of veget- 
ables and minerals; the great and wide sea, with its unnumbered inhabi- 
tants ; all these are ready to instruct us in the mysteries of faith, and the 
duties of morality. 

They speak their Maker as they can, 

But want and ask the tongue of man. Parnel. 

The advantages of Messiah's reign are represented in some of the Psalms, 
under images of this kind. We behold a renovation of all things, and 
the world, as it were, new created, breaks forth into singing. The earth 
is crowned with sudden verdure and fertility ; the field is joyful, and all 
that is in it; the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord ; the floods 
clap their hands in concert, and ocean fills up the mighty chorus, to cele- 
brate the advent of the Great King. 

Similar to these, are the representations of spiritual mercies by tem- 
poral deliverances from sickness, prison, danger of perishing in storms at 

* Read nature ; nature is a friend to truth ; 
Nature is Christian, preaches to mankind ; 
And bids dead matter aid us in our creed. Young. 

t " I believe, a good natural philosopher might show, with great reason and pro- 
bability, that there is scarce beast, bird, reptile, or insect, that does not, in each 
particular climate, instruct and admonish mankind of some necessary truth for their 
happiness, either in body or mind." — Dr. Cheyne's Philosophical Conjectures on the 
Preference of Vegetable Food, p. 73. That which a celebrated writer has observed 
concerning a Poet, may, perhaps, be equally applicable to a Divine, " To him nothing 
can be useless. Whatever is beautiful, and whatever is dreadful, should be familiar to 
his imagination : he should be conversant with all that is awfully vast, or elegantly 
little. The plants of the garden, the animals of the wood, the minerals of the earth, 
and meteors of the sky, should all concur to store his mind with inexhaustible variety; 
for every idea is useful for the enforcement or decoration of moral or religious truth ; 
and he, who knows most, will have most power of diversifying his scenes, and of 
gratifying his reader with remote allusions, and unexpected instruction. By him, 
therefore, no kind of knowledge should be overlooked. He should range mountains 
and deserts for images and resemblances, and picture upon his mind every tree of the 
forest, and flower of the valley ; the crags of the rock, and the mazes of the stream." 
Rasselas, chap. x. The reader may see this exemplified in some " Disquisitions on 
Select Subjects of Scripture," by my worthy friend, the Rev. Mr. Jones, whose labours 
make it evident, that true Philosophy will ever be the handmaid of true Divinity. 



XXVL 



PIUiFACE. 



sea, and from the sundry kinds of calamity and death, to which the body 
of man is subject ; as also by scenes of domestic felicity, and by the 
flourishing state of well ordered communities, especially that of Israel in 
Canaan, which, while the benediction of Jehovah rested upon it, was a 
picture of heaven itself. The foregoing, and every other species of the 
sacred imagery, if there be any other not hitherto included, it hath been 
the author's main endeavour to illustrate. And a view of what is done in 
this way will, it is humbly hoped, afford same reason to think, there may 
not be that necessary connexion, which a late noble writer has been pleased 
to suppose, between devotion and dulness. 

The Psalms, which remain, are such as treat in plain terms, without 
figures or examples of wisdom and folly, righteousness and sin; the hap- 
piness produced by one, and the misery caused by the other; of particu- 
lar virtues and vices ; of the vanity of human life ; of the attributes of 
God ; of that patience with which the faithful should learn to bear the 
sight of wickedness triumphant in this world, looking forward to the day 
of final retribution ; and subjects of the like nature. As Psalms of this 
kind call for little in the expository way, the general doctrines or pre- 
cepts implied in them, or suggested by them, are drawn forth in short 
reflections, attempted after the manner of those made by father Quesnel 
on each verse of the New Testament. The opportunity of doing this 
where nothing else seemed to be required, and indeed of doing, upon 
every occasion, what did seem to be required in any way, was the reason 
for throwing the work into its present form, rather than that of a para- 
phrase, or any other. Some repetitions, in a performance of this sort, 
are unavoidable. But a Commentary on the Book of Psalms is not to be 
read all at once ;* and it was thought better to give the exposition of each 
Psalm complete in itself, than to refer the reader elsewhere; which, there- 
fore, is only done, when passages of a considerable length occur in two 
Psalms, without any material difference. 

Such is the method the author has taken, such the authorities upon 
which he has proceeded, and such the rules by which he has directed him- 
self. If constancy and uniformity in the comment have been the result, 
they will afford, it is hoped, no contemptible argument on its behalf; since 
it is scarcely possible to expound uniformly, on an unerroneous plan, so 
great a variety of figurative language, as is to be found in the Book of 
Psalms.f 

* The most profitable way of reading it, perhaps, would be, by small portions, often 
reviewing the text and the comment, and comparing them carefully together ; at times 
when the mind is most free, vacant, and calm ; in the morning more especially, to pre- 
pare and fortify it for the business of the day ; and in the evening, to recompose, and 
set it in order, for the approaching season of rest. 

t The student in Theology, who is desirous of farther information upon a subject 
so curious, so entertaining, and so interesting, as that of the figurative language of 
scripture, the principles on which it is founded, and the best rules to be observed in 
the sober and rational interpretation of it, may find satisfaction, by consulting the fol- 
lowing authors : 

Lowth's Preface to his Commentary on the Prophets. 

Lowth, Praelect. de Sacr. Poes. Heb. Praslect. iv— xii. 

Pascal's Thoughts, sect, x— -xiv. 

Hurd's Introd. to the study of the Prophecies, serm. ii— iv 
Vitringa, Observat. Sacr. lib. vi. cap. xx. et lib. vii. 
Vitringa, Praefat. ad Comment, in Jesaiam. 



PREFACE. 



XXV 11 



Let us stop, for a moment, to contemplate the true character of these 
sacred hymns. 

Greatness confers no exemption from the cares and sorrows of life. Its 
share of them frequently bears a melancholy proportion to its exaltation. 
This the Israelitish monarch experienced, tie sought in piety that peace 
which he could not find in empire, and alleviated the disquietudes of state 
with the exercises of devotion. 

His invaluable Psalms convey those comforts to others, which they 
afforded to himself. Composed upon particular occasions, yet designed 
for general use; delivered out as services for Israelites under the law, 
yet no less adapted to the circumstances of Christians under the gospel; 
they present religion to us in the most engaging dress ; communicating 
truths which philosophy could never investigate, in a style which poetry 
can never equal ; while history is made the vehicle of prophecy, and crea- 
tion lends all its charms to paint the glories of redemption. Calculated 
alike to profit, and to please, they inform the understanding, elevate the 
affections, and entertain the imagination. Indited under the influence 
of Him, to whom all hearts are known, and events foreknown, they suit 
mankind in all situations, grateful as the manna which descended from 
above, and conformed itself to every palate. The fairest productions of 
human wit, after a few perusals, like gathered flowers, wither in our 
hands, and lose their fragrancy; but these unfading plants of paradise 
become, as we are accustomed to them, still more and more beautiful ; 
their bloom appears to be daily heightened ; fresh odours are emitted, 
and new sweets extracted from them. He who hath once tasted their ex- 
cellence, will desire to taste them yet again ; and he who tastes them 
oftenest will relish them best. 

And now, could the author flatter himself, that any one would take half 
the pleasure in reading the following exposition, which he hath taken in 
writing it, he would not fear the loss of his labour. The employment de- 
tached him from the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and the 
noise of folly; vanity and vexation flew away for a season, care and dis- 
quietude came not near his dwelling. He arose, fresh as the morning, 
to his task ; the silence of the night invited him to pursue it ; and he can 
truly say, that food and rest were not preferred before it. Every Psalm 
improved infinitely upon his acquaintance with it, and no one gave him 
uneasiness but the last; for then he grieved that his work was done. 
Happier hours than those which have been spent on these meditations on 
the Songs of Sion, he never expects to see in this world. Very pleasantly 
did they pass, and moved smoothly and swiftly along; for, when thus 
engaged, he counted no time. They are gone, but have left a relish and 

a fragrance upon the mind, and the remembrance of them is sweet. 

But, alas, these are the fond effusions of parental tenderness. Others will 
view the production with very different eyes, and the harsh voice of in- 
exorable criticism will too soon awaken him from his pleasing dream. He 
is not insensible, that many learned and good men, whom he does not 
therefore value and respect the less, have conceived strong prejudices 

Glassii Philologia Sacra, lib. ii. 

Witsii Miscellan, Sacra, torn. i. lib. iii. cap. iii. lib. ii. Dissert, i. ii. CEconom. 
Feed. lib. iv. cap. vi---x. 

Waterland's General Preface to " Scripture Vindicated." 



XXVlll 



PREFACE. 



against the scheme of interpretation here pursued; and he knows how 
little the generality of modern Christians have been accustomed to specu- 
lations of this kind ; which, it may likewise, perhaps, be said, will give 
occasion to the scoffs of our adversaries the Jews and the deists. Yet, if 
in the preceding passage it hath been made to appear, that the applica- 
tion of the Psalms to evangelical subjects, times, and circumstances, 
stands upon firm ground ; that it may be prosecuted upon a regular and 
consistent plan; and that it is not only expedient, but even necessary, 
to render the use of them in our devotions rational and profitable ; will 
it be presumption in him to hope, that, upon a calm and dispassionate 
review of the matter, prejudices may subside, and be done away ? If men, 
in these days, have not been accustomed to such contemplations, is it not 
high time they should become so ? Can they begin too soon to study, 
and make themselves masters of a science, which promises to its votaries 
so much entertainment, as well as improvement; which recommends the 
scriptures to persons of true taste and genius, as books intended equally 
for our delight and instruction ; which demonstrates the ways of celestial 
wisdom to be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths to be peace indeed ? 
From the most sober, deliberate, and attentive survey of the sentiments 
which prevailed, upon this point, in the first ages of the church, when the 
apostolical method of citing and expounding the Psalms was fresh upon 
the minds of their followers, the author cannot but be confident, that his 
Commentary, if it had then made its appearance, would have been uni- 
versally received and approved, as to the general design of it, by the 
whole Christian world. And however the Jews in their present state of 
alienation and unbelief, may reject and set at naught such applications of 
their scriptures to our Messiah, and his chosen people, as they certainly 
will do ; he is not less confident, that whenever the happy and glorious 
day of their conversion shall come, and the veil shall be taken from their 
hearts, they will behold the Psalter in that light, in which he has endea- 
voured to place it.* As to the deists, they, while they continue such, can 
have neither lot nor part in this matter ; for giving no credit to the scrip- 
ture account of things, either in the Old Testament, or the New, to dis- 
course with them concerning a connexion and analogy subsisting between 
the one and the other, is to reason about a fifth sense with a man who has 
only four. For the conviction both of the Jews and the deists, other 

* " If this appears to be the case in so many of the Psalms, (namely, that they are 
predictive of Messiah,) how strongly does it justify our Lord's appeal to them, as 
treating of him. And what a noble argument may hence arise, for the conviction and 
conversion of that extraordinary people, to whom they were originally communicated, 
when once the veil, that is on their hearts, shall he taken away, as by the same spirit 
of prophecy we are assured it shall." — The Bishop of Carlisle's Theory of Religion, 
p. 176, 6th edit. With what transports of zeal and devotion, of faith and love, will 
they recite these holy hymns, in the day when the whole body of the Jews, returning 
to the Lord their God, shall acknowledge their unparalleled crime in the murder of 
their King, and their penitential sorrow for the same, perhaps, as his lordship inti- 
mates, in the words of the fifty-first Psalm: "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O 
God, thou God of my salvation ; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 
O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou 
desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it ; thou delightest not in burnt-offering. The 
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt 
not despise. O do good in thy good pleasure to Zion ; build thou the walls of Jeru- 
salem." 



PREFACE. 



xxix 



arguments are to be urged ; arguments from undeniable miracles openly 
wrought, and plain prophecies literally fulfilled. Such proofs are " for 
them that believe not." And such have been repeatedly urged, in their 
full force, by the many able champions, who have stood forth (success 
evermore attend their labours!) in defence of the evidences of Christianity. 
Expositions and meditations, like those in the subsequent pages, serve not, 
nor are intended to serve, " for them who believe not, but for them who 
believe ;"* who will exercise their faculties in discerning and contemplat- 
ing the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and who are going on unto 
perfection ; to increase their faith, and inflame their charity : to delight 
them in prosperity, to comfort them in adversity, to edify them at all 
times. Such effects, the author doubts not, will be experienced by be- 
lievers, who will read this book with an honest and good heart, with seri- 
ousness and attention ; for, though he humbly trusts it will not be deemed 
altogether unworthy a place in the libraries of the learned, he builds 
chiefly on that approbation which he is solicitous it should receive in the 
closets of the devout ; as considering that it is love, heavenly love, which 
" never faileth ; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail ; whether 
there be tongues, they shall cease ; whether there be knowledge, it shall 
vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part : but when 
that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done 
away."f They who find not the wished-for satisfaction in one portion, 
will find it in another ; they who disapprove of an interpretation at the 
first reading, may, perhaps, approve of it at the second ; and they who 
still continue to disapprove of some particulars, will not therefore disdain 
to accept the benefit of the rest. He has written to gratify no sect or party, 
butfor the common service of all who call on the name of Jesus, whereso- 
ever dispersed, and howsoever distressed, upon the earth. When he views 
the innumerable unhappy differences among Christians, all of whom are 
equally oppressed with the cares and calamities of life, he often calls to 
mind those beautiful and affecting words which Milton represents Adam 
as addressing to Eve, after they had wearied themselves with mutual com- 
plaints and accusations of each other — 

But rise ; let us no more contend, nor blame 
Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere ; but strive 
In offices of love, how we may lighten 

Each other's burden in our share of woe. Book x. ver. 958. 

Enough has been given to the arts of controversy. Let something be given 
to the studies of piety and a holy life. If we can once unite in these, our 
tempers may be better disposed to unite in doctrine. When we shall be 
duly prepared to receive it, " God may reveal even this unto us." To in- 
crease the number of disputes among us, is, therefore, by no means the in- 
tent of this publication. The author having, for many years, accustomed 
himself to consider and apply the Psalms, while he recited them, accord- 
ing to the method now laid down, has never failed to experience the un- 
speakable benefit of it, both in public and private ; and would wish, if it so 
pleased God, that death might find him employed in meditations of this 



* 1 Cor. xiv. 22. 



t 1 Cor. xiii. 8. 



XXX 



PREFACE. 



kind.* He has 'likewise frequently taken occasion, in the course of his 
ministry, to explain a Psalm, upon the same plan, from the pulpit; and 
whenever he has done so, whether the audience were learned or unlearned, 
polite or rustic, he has generally had the happiness to find the discourse, 
in an especial manner, noticed and remembered. But still, many may be 
of a different opinion, who may conscientiously believe the doctrines, and 
practise the duties of the gospel, whether they see them shadowed out in 
the Psalms, or not. Such will enjoy their own liberty, and permit their 
brethren to do the same. Or, if they shall think it necessary to take up 
the polemical pen, he desires only to receive that treatment, which he has 
shown himself to every writer, cited, or referred to by him.f Instead of 
engaging in a tedious, and, perhaps, unprofitable altercation upon the 
subject, he feels himself at present much rather inclined, in such a case, 
to follow, at his proper distance, the amiable example of his greatly re- 
spected Diocesan, who reprinted in England the objections made by a 
foreign professor to some parts of his Lectures on the Hebrew Poetry, 
and left the public to form its own judgment between them. J From that 
public, the author of the following work is now to expect the determina- 
tion of his fate. Should its sentence be in his disfavour, nothing farther 
remains to be said, than that he has honestly and faithfully endeavoured 
to serve it, to the utmost of his power, in the way in which he thought 
himself best able; and to give the world some account of that time, and 
those opportunities, which, by the providence of a gracious God, and the 
munificence of a pious Founder, he has long enjoyed, in the happy retire- 
ment of a college. 

* " I have lost a world of time," said the learned Salmasius, on his death bed; " Tf 
I had one year more, I would spend it in reading David's Psalms, and Paul's Epistles." 

t Detur igitur erratis meis venia. Ipse demum exemplo meo mihi 'prosim, qui 
neminem eorum, a quibus dissenserim, contumeliis, affeci ; qui non vitio Criticorum, 
in diversae sentential propugnatores acriter invectus sum ; qui denique earn veniam 
antecessoribus meis libens tribui, quam ab iis, qui haec in manus sumturi sint, velim 
impetrare. — Pearce, in preefat. ad edit. Cic. de Oratore. 

t " In his si quae sunt, quae mihi minus persuasit Vir Clarissimus, ea malui hoc 
modo libero Lectorum nostrorum judicio permittere, quam in disceptationem et con- 
troversiam injucundam, et fortasse infructuosam, vocare." — Lowth. in Praef. ad edit, 
idam Praelect. de Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum. " Authors should avoid, as much as they 
can," says another very learned critic, " replies and rejoinders, the usual consequences 
of which are, loss of time, and loss of temper. Happy is he who is engaged in con- 
troversy with his own passions, and comes off superior ; who makes it his endeavour, 
that his follies and weaknesses may die before him, and who daily meditates on mor- 
tality and immortality." — Jortin's Preface to his Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, 
p. xxxiv. 



That the Reader may the more easily turn to such Psalms as will best 
suit the present state of his mind, according to the different circum- 
stances, whether external or internal, into which, by the changes and 
chances of life, or the variations of temper and disposition, he may, at 
any time, be thrown, the common Table of Psalms, classed under their 
several subjects, is here subjoined. 

Prayers. 

I. Prayers for Pardon of Sin. Psalms 6. 25. 38. 51. 130. Psalms styled Penitential, 

6. 32. 38. 51. 102. 130. 143. 
Ilr Prayers composed when the Psalmist was deprived of an opportunity of the public 

Exercise of Religion. Psalms 42, 43. 63. 84. 

III. Prayers wherein the Psalmist appears extremely dejected, though not totally de- 
prived of Consolation under his afflictions. Psalms 13. 22. 69. 77. 88. 143. 

IV. Prayers wherein the Psalmist asketh help of God, in consideration of his own 
Integrity, and the Uprightness of his Cause. Psalms 7. 17. 26. 35. 

V. Prayers expressing the firmest Trust and Confidence in God under Afflictions. 

Psalms 3. 16. 27. 31. 54. 56, 57. 61, 62. 71. 86. 

VI. Prayers composed when the People of God were under Affliction or Persecution. 
Psalms 44. 60. 74. 79, 80. 83. 89. 94. 102. 123. 137. 

VII. The following are likewise Prayers in time of Trouble and Affliction. Psalms 
4, 5. 11. 28. 41. 55. 59. 64. 70. 109. 120. 140—142. 

VIII. Prayers of Intercession. Psalms 20. 67. 122. 132. 144. 

Psalms of Thanksgiving. 

I. Thanksgivings for Mercies vouchsafed to particular Persons. Psalms 9. 18. 22. 

30. 34. 40. 75. 103. 108. 116. 118. 138. 144. 

II. Thanksgivings for Mercies vouchsafed to the Israelites in general. Psalms 46. 

48. 65, 66 68. 76. 81. 85. 98. 105. 124. 126. 129. 135, 136. 149. 

Psalms of Praise and Adoration, displaying the Attributes 

of God. 

I. General Acknowledgments of God's Goodness and Mercy, and particularly his 

Care and Protection of good Men. Psalms 23. 34. 36. 91. 100. 103. 107. 117. 
121. 145, 146. 

II. Psalms displaying the Power, Majesty, Glory, and other Attributes of the Divine 

Being. Psalms 8. 19. 24. 29. 33. 47. 50. 65, 66. 76, 77. 93. 95 — 97. 99. 104. 111. 
113—115. 134. 139. 147, 148. 150. 

Instructive Psalms. 

I. The different Characters of Good and Bad Men. The Happiness of the one, and 

the Miseries of the other, are represented in the following Psalms, 1. 5. 7. 9—12. 
14, 15. 17. 24, 25. 32. 34. 36, 37. 50. 52, 53. 58. 73. 75. 84. 91, 92. 94. 112. 119. 
121. 125. 127, 128. 133. 

II. The Excellence of God's Law. Psalms 19. 119. 

III. The Vanity of Human Life. Psalms 39. 49. 90. 

IV. Advice to Magistrates. Psalms 82. 101. 

V. The Virtue of Humility. Psalm 131. 

Psalms more eminently and directly Prophetical. 
Psalms 2. 16. 22. 40. 45. 68. 72. 87. 110. 118. 

Historical Psalms. 



Psalms 78. 105, 106. 



A 

COMMENTARY 

ON 

THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 



FIRST DAY.- MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM L 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, which is generally looked upon by expositors as a preface or 
introduction to the rest, describes the blessedness of the righteous, 
consisting, ver 1. negatively, in their abstaining from sin; 2. posi- 
tively, in holy meditation on the scriptures, productive of continual 
growth in grace, which, 3. is beautifully represented under an image 
borrowed from vegetation ; as, 4. is the opposite state of the unbeliev- 
ing and ungodly, by a comparison taken from the threshing-floor. The 
two last verses foretell the final issue of things, with respect to both 
good and bad men, at the great day. 

Ver. I. — Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel 
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor 
sitteth in the seat of the scornf ul. 

The Psalter, like the Sermon on the Mount, openeth with 
a ££ beatitude," for our comfort and encouragement, direct- 
ing us immediately to that happiness which all mankind, 
in different ways, are seeking and inquiring after. All 
would secure themselves from the incursions of misery ; but 
all do not consider that misery is the offspring of sin, from 
which it is therefore necessary to be delivered and preserved, 
in order to become happy, or "blessed." The variety of 
expressions, here used by David, intimateth to us, that there 
is a gradation in wickedness ; and that he who would not 
persist in evil courses, or commence a scoffer at the mystery 
of godliness, must have no fellow ship with bad men ; since 

B 



2 A COMMENTARY [PS. I. 

it is impossible for any one, who forsakes the right path, to 
say, whither he shall wander; and few, when they begin to 
" walk in the counsel of the ungodly," propose finally to 
sit down in the " seat of the scornful." O thou second 
Adam, who alone, since the transgression of the first, hast 
attained a sinless perfection, make thy servants "blessed," by 
making them "righteous," through thy merits and grace 1 

2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his 
law doth he meditate day and night. 

He who hath once brought himself to "delight" in the 
scriptures, will find no temptation to exchange that pleasure 
for any which the world or the flesh can offer him. Such 
an one will make the lively oracles of God his companions 
by day and by night. He will have recourse to them for 
direction, in the bright and cheerful hours of prosperity; 
to them he will apply for comfort in the dark and dreary 
seasons of adversity. The enemy, when advancing to the 
assault, will always find him well employed, and will be 
received with — " Get thee behind me, Satan ! " When the 
law of God is the object of our studies and meditations, we 
are conformed to the example of our Redeemer himself, 
who, as a man, while he " increased in stature," increased 
likewise "in wisdom, " and grew powerful in the knowledge 
of the law which he was to fulfil, and of those prophecies 
which he was to accomplish; so that, at twelve years of 
age, he appeared to "have more understanding than all his 
teachers ; for the divine testimonies had been his medita- 
tion."— Ps. cxix. 99. 

3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of 
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; his leaf 
also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

By continual meditation in the sacred writings, a man as 
naturally improves and advances in holiness, as a "tree" 
thrives and flourishes in a kindly and well watered soil. 
All the "fruits" of righteousness show themselves at their 
proper "season" as opportunity calls for them; and his 
words, which are to his actions what the "leaves " are to the 
fruit, fall not to the ground, but are profitable as well as 
ornamental, Every thing in him and about him serves the 
purpose for which it was intended ; his brethren are bene- 
fited by him, and his Maker is glorified. How eminently 
is this the case with that tree of life, which Jehovah 



DAY I. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



3 



planted in the midst of his new paradise, by the waters of 
comfort; a tree which sprung out of the earth, but its 
height reached to heaven, and its breadth to the ends of 
the world ! its shadow is for the protection, its fruit for the 
support, and its leaves for the healing of the nations. It 
flourishes in immortal youth, and blooms for ever in unfad- 
ing beauty. — See Rev. xxii. 2. 

4. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff, which 
the wind driveth away. 

In the foregoing description of the righteous, all appeared 
verdant and fruitful, lovely and enduring ; but here, by way 
pi contrast, we are presented with nothing but what is 
withered and worthless, without form or stability, blown 
about by every wind, and at length finally dispersed from 
the face of the earth, by the breath of God's displeasure, 
and driven into the fire prepared for it. Such is the state, 
such the lot of the "ungodly;" and so justly are they com- 
pared to "chaff. " 

5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment * 
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 

A day is coming, when the divine Husbandman shall 
appear with his "fan in his hand," and shall "thoroughly 
purge his floor." The wheat, which shall stand the win- 
nowing of that day, will be gathered into the celestial 
granary ; while the chaff, for ever separated from it, shall 
be hurried out of the floor, and carried, by a mighty whirl- 
wind, to its own place. Then shall there be a "congregation 
of the righteous," in which "sinners shall not stand." At 
present wheat and chaff lie in one floor ; wheat and tares 
grow in one field; good and bad fishes are comprehend- 
ed in one net ; good and bad men are contained in the vi- 
sible church. Let us wait with patience God's time of 
separation. 

6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous : but 
the way of the ungodly shall perish. 

In the present scene of confusion, we may be, and often 
are, deceived in the judgment we form of men. But it 
cannot be so with the Omniscient. — "The foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them 
that are his." — 2 Tim. ii. 19. Their good deeds are not un- 
observed, nor will they be forgotten by him. His eye seeth 
them in secret, and his hand will reward them openly, in 

b 2 



4 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. If. 



the day of final retribution ; when crowns of glory shall 
sparkle on the heads of the righteous, but shame and tor- 
ment shall be the portion of the wicked; "the way of the 
ungodly shall perish." 



PSALM II. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, seated upon the throne of Israel, notwithstanding the opposition 
made against him, and now about to carry his victorious arms amongst 
the neighbouring heathen nations, may be supposed to have penned this, 
as a kind of inauguration Psalm. But that a " greater than David is 
here," appears not only from the strength of the expressions, which 
are more properly applicable to Messiah, than to David himself ; but 
also from the citations made in the New Testament : the appointment 
of the Psalm by the church to be read on Easter day ; and the confes- 
sions of the Jewish Rabbies. It treats, therefore, 1 — 3. of the oppo- 
sition raised, both by Jew and Gentile, against the kingdom of Jesus 
Christ ; 4 — 6. of his victory, and the confusion of his enemies ; 7 — 9. 
after his resurrection, he preaches the gospel, and, 10 — 12. calls the 
kings of the earth to accept it ; denouncing vengeance against those 
who shall not do so, and pronouncing a blessing on those who shall. 

1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a 
vain thing ? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and 
the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against 
his anointed, saying, 

The true David is introduced, like his ancestor of old, 
expostulating with the nations, for their vain attempts to 
frustrate the divine decree in his favour. These two verses 
are cited, Acts iv. 25. and thus expounded — " Lord — of a 
truth, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, 
both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the 
people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do what- 
soever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be 
done." Persecution may be carried on by the people, but 
it is raised and fomented by kings and rulers. After the 
ascension of Christ, and the effusion of the Spirit, the whole 
power of the Roman empire was employed in the same cause, 
by those who, from time to time, swayed the sceptre of the 
world. But still, they who intended to extirpate the faith 
and destroy the church, how many and how mighty soever 
they might be, were found only to " imagine a vain thing." 



DAY 1. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



5 



And equally vain will every imagination be, that exalteth 
itself against the counsels of God for the salvation of his 
people. 

3. Let us break their bands asunder ; and cast away their 
cords from us. 

These words, supposed to be spoken by the powers in 
arms against Messiah, discover to us the true ground of 
opposition ; namely, the unwillingness of rebellious nature 
to submit to the obligations of divine laws, which cross the 
interests, and lay a restraint upon the desires of men. Cor- 
rupt affections are the most inveterate enemies of Christ ; 
and their language is, — " We will not have this man to 
reign over us." Doctrines would be readily believed, if 
they involved in them no precepts ; and the church may 
be tolerated by the world, if she will only give up her 
discipline. 

4. lie that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh ; the Lord 
shall have them in derision. 

By these, and such like expressions, which frequently 
occur in the scripture, we are taught in a language which 
we understand, because borrowed from ourselves, and our 
manner of showing contempt, how the schemes of worldly 
politicians appear to him, who sitting upon his heavenly 
throne, surveys, at a glance, whatever men are doing, or 
contriving to do, upon the earth. This is the idea intended 
to be conveyed ; and from it we are to separate all notions 
of levity, or whatever else may offend, when applied to the 
Godhead, though adhering to the phrases as in use among 
the sons of Adam. The same is to be said with regard to 
words which seem to attribute many other human passions 
and affections to the Deity : as, for instance, these which 
follow : — 

5. Then shall he speak un 'o them in his wrath, and vex 
them in his sore displeasure. 6. Yet have L set my king 
upon my holy hill of Zion. 

The meaning is, that, by pouring out his indignation upon 
the adversaries of Messiah, as formerly upon those of David, 
God would no less evidently convict and reprove their folly 
and impiety, than if he had actually thus spoken to them 
from his eternal throne above: — "Yet, notwithstanding 
all your rage against him, have I raised from the dead, 
and exalted as Head of the Church, my appointed King 



6 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. II. 



Messiah ; in like manner as I once set his victorious repre- 
sentative David upon my holy hill of Sion, in the earthly 
Jerusalem, out of the reach of his numerous and implacable 
enemies." Let us reflect, for our comfort, that He who 
raised up his Son Jesus, has promised to raise up us also 
who believe in him; and that the world can no more prevent 
the exaltation of the members, than it could prevent that of 
the Head. 

7. / will declare the decree : the Lord hath said unto me, 
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 

Jesus, for the suffering of death, crowned with honour 
and immortality, upon the holy hill of Sion, in the New 
Jerusalem, now " declares the decree," or preaches the 
gospel of the everlasting covenant. His part in the cove- 
nant was performed by keeping the law, and dying for the 
sins of men. Nothing therefore remained, but the accom- 
plishment of the promise made to him by the Father, upon 
those conditions. One part of this promise was fulfilled, 
saith St. Paul, " in that he had raised up Jesus again ; as 
it is written in the 2nd Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day 
have I begotten thee. — Acts xiii. 33. Another part was ful- 
filled at the ascension of Christ, and his inauguration to an 
eternal kingdom, and an unchangeable priesthood, as the 
true Melchizedek, King of Righteousness, King of Peace, 
and Priest of the Most High God. The next article in the 
covenant, on the Father's side, was the enlargement of Mes- 
siah's spiritual kingdom, by the accession of the nations to 
the church. And, accordingly, this was the next thing 
which " Jehovah said unto him," after having proclaimed 
his Sonship and pre-eminence ; as we find by the following 
verse : — 

8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy 
possessioii. 

Christ was to enter upon the exercise of the intercessorial 
branch of his priestly office with a request of the Father, 
that the " heathen world might be given for his inheritance, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," in 
return for the labours he had undergone, and the pains he 
had endured ; as also to supply the place of the Jews, who 
were his original " inheritance and possession," but were 
cast off, because of unbelief. That such request was made 



DAY I. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



7 



by Christ and granted by the Father, the person who writes 
this, and he who reads it, in a once Pagan, but now Chris- 
tian island, are both witnesses. 

9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shalt 
dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 

The irresistible power and inflexible justice of Christ's 
kingdom are signified by his " ruling with a rod of iron •" 
the impotence of those who presume to oppose him, is com- 
pared to that of " a potter's vessel," which must fly in pieces 
at the first stroke of the iron rod. The power of Christ will 
be manifested in all, by the destruction either of sin or the 
sinner. The hearts which now yield to the impressions of 
his Spirit, are broken only in order to be formed anew, and 
to become vessels of honour, fitted for the Master's use. 
Those which continue stubborn and hardened, must be 
dashed in pieces by the stroke of eternal vengeance, 

10. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings : be instructed, 
ye judges of the earth. 11. Serve the Lord with fear, and 
rejoice with trembling. 

The decree of the Father, concerning the kingdom of the 
Son, being thus promulgated by the latter, an exhortation is 
made to the kings of the earth, that they would learn true 
wisdom, and suffer themselves to be instructed unto salva- 
tion ; that they would bow their sceptres to the cross of 
Jesus, and cast their crowns before his throne ; esteeming it 
a far greater honour, as well as a more exalted pleasure, to 
serve Him, than to find themselves at the head of victorious 
armies, surrounded by applauding nations. 

12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from 
the way ; when his wrath is kindled but a little, blessed are 
all they that put their trust in him. 

Christ beseeches kings no less than their subjects, to be 
reconciled to him, and by him to the Father ; since a day is 
at hand, when mighty men shall have no distinction, but 
that of being mightily tormented. And then will be seen 
the "blessedness" of those who "put their trust in" the Lord 
Jesus. For when the glory of man shall fade away as the 
short-lived flower of the field, and when all, that is called 
great and honourable in princes, shall be laid low in the dust, 
he shall give unto his faithful servants a crown without cares, 
and a kingdom which cannot be moved. 



8 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. HI. 



PSALM III. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is said to have been composed by David, when he fled from his 
son Absalom. Thus circumstanced, he expresses himself in terms well 
adapted to the parallel case of the son of David, persecuted by rebellious 
Israel *, as also to that of his church, suffering tribulation in the world. 
1, 2. He complains, in much anguish, of the multitude of his enemies, 
and of the reproaches cast upon him, as one forsaken by God : but, 3. 
declares, notwithstanding, his sure trust in the divine promises ; 4, 5. 
he relates the success of his prayers : 6 — 8. derides the impotent malice 
of his enemies, and ascribes salvation to Jehovah. 

1. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me i Many 
are they that rise up against me. 

David is astonished to find, that " the hearts of the men 
of Israel are after Absalom," 2 Sam. xv. 13. that his coun- 
sellors are revolted, and his friends falling off continually ; 
and that the king of Israel is forced to leave his capital 
mourning and weeping. Thus, led forth out of Jerusalem 
by his own children in arms against him, the holy Jesus went, 
forsaken and sorrowing to the cross, in the day of trouble. 
Thus is the church oftentimes opposed and betrayed by her 
sons, and the Christian by his passions and affections. So 
true it is, that " a man's foes are they of his own household." 
But he, who by prayer engages the assistance of Jehovah, 
will rise superior to all. 

2. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help 
for him in God. 

Affliction and desertion are two very different things, but 
often confounded by the world. Shimei reviled David, as 
reprobated by heaven ; and the language of the Shimeis 
afterward, concerning the Son of David, was, " He trusted in 
God ; let him deliver him now, if he will have him." — See 
2 Sam. xvi. 8. Matt, xxvii. 43. The fearful imaginations 
of our own desponding hearts, and the suggestions of our 
crafty adversary, frequently join to help forward this most 
dangerous temptation in the hour of sorrow. What, there 
fore, hath faith to offer ? We shall hear — 

3. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me : my glory, 
and the lifter up of my head. 

Such is the answer of David, and of all the saints, but 



DAY I. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



9 



above all, of the King of saints, to the temptation before 
mentioned. Jehovah is a " shield" against this, and all 
other fiery darts, shot by Satan and his associates : he is the 
" glory" of Christ and the church, with which they will one 
day be seen invested, though for a season it appear not to 
the world, any more than did the royalty vof David, when, 
weeping and barefoot, he went up Mount Olivet. — 2 Sam. 
xv. 30. The same Jehovah is " the lifter up of our heads," 
by the gift of holy confidence, and the hope of a resur- 
rection, through that of Jesus Christ, prefigured by the 
triumphant and happy return of David to Jerusalem. 

4. / cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me 
out of his holy hill. 

David, driven from Jerusalem, still looked and prayed 
toward the " holy hill" of Sion. Christ, when a stranger 
on the earth, " made supplication, with strong crying," to 
his Father in heaven. Christ was heard for his own sake ; 
David was heard, and we shall be heard, through him. 

5. / laid me down and slept ; I awaked, for the Lord 
sustained me. 

Behold David, in the midst of danger, sleeping without fear, 
secure, through the divine protection, of awaking to engage 
and vanquish his enemies. Behold the Son of David com- 
posing himself to his rest upon the cross, that bed of sorrows ; 
and commending his spirit into the Father's hands, in full 
confidence of a joyful resurrection, according to the promise, 
at the time appointed. Behold this, O Christian, and let 
faith teach thee how to sleep, and how to die; while it 
assures thee, that as sleep is a short death, so death is only 
a longer sleep ; and that the same God watches over thee, 
in thy bed, and in thy grave. 

6. / will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that 
have set themselves against me round about. 

Faith revived and invigorated by prayer, and fixed on 
God alone, is a stranger to fear, in the worst of times. The 
innumerable examples of saints rescued from tribulation, and 
above all, the resurrection of the Son of God from the dead, 
render the believer bold as a lion, although the name of his 
adversary be " legion." 

7. Arise, O Lord! save me, O my God! for thou hast 
smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast 
broken the teeth of the ungodly. 



10 A COMMENTARY [PS. IV. 

The church, through Christ, prayeth in these words of 
David, that Jehovah would arise, as of old time, in the 
power of his might ; that he would finally break the power 
of Satan and his adherents ; pluck the spoil out of the jaws 
of those beasts of prey ; and work that glorious deliverance 
for the members, which is already wrought for the Head of 
the body mystical. 

8. Salvation belongeth, or, be ascribed unto the Lord ; 
thy blessing is, or, be upon thy people. 

The Psalm ends with an acknowledgment, which ought 
always to fill the heart, and upon every proper occasion, to 
flow from the mouth of a Christian ; namely, that " salva- 
tion" is not to be had from man, from the kings of the earth, 
or the gods of the heathen, from saints or angels, but from 
Jehovah alone ; to whom alone, therefore, the glory should 
be ascribed. If He will save, none can destroy ; if He will 
destroy, none can save. Let Balak, then, curse Israel, or 
hire Balaam to curse them for him ; be but thy " blessing," 
O Lord, upon thy people, and it sufficeth. 



PSALM IV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The person speaking in this psalm, 1. prayeth to be heard by God; 
2. convinceth the world of sin ; 3. declare th the righteous to be under 
the divine protection; 4, 5. prescribeth solitude and meditation, as the 
proper means to lead men to repentance and faith ; 6. showeth, that in 
God alone peace and comfort are to be found ; and, 7. how superior the 
joys of the spirit are to those of sense ; 8. repose th himself, in full 
assurance of faith, on the loving-kindness of the Lord. 

1. Hear me, when I call, O God of my righteousness ; 
thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress ; have mercy 
upon me, and hear my prayer. 

The church, like David, "calls" aloud, as one in great 
affliction, for God's assistance : she addresses him as the 
"God of her righteousness," as the fountain of pardon and 
grace; she reminds him of that spiritual liberty, and "en- 
largement" from bondage, which he had purchased for her, 
and oftentimes wrought in her ; and conscious of her de- 
merits, makes her prayer for " mercy." 



DAY I. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 11 

2. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory 
into shame ? How long will ye. love vanity, and seek after 
leasing, or falsehood. 

If the Israelitish monarch conceived he had just cause to 
expostulate with his enemies, for despising the royal majesty, 
with which Jehovah had invested his anointed ; of how 
much severer reproof shall they be thought worthy, who 
blaspheme the essential "glory" of King Messiah, which 
shines forth by his gospel in the church? Thou, O Christ, 
art everlasting truth ; all is " vanity and falsehood," transient 
and fallacious, but the love of thee ! 

3. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is 
godly for himself ; the Lord will hear when L call upon him. 

Be the opinions or the practices of men what they will, 
the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Is David "set 
apart" for the kingdom of Israel? Saul shall not be able 
to detain, nor Absalom to wrest it from him. Is Messiah 
ordained to be King of the Israel of God ? Death and hell 
shall not prevent it. Are his disciples appointed to reign 
with him? Infallibly they shall. Our Intercessor is already 
on high; and for his sake, "the Lord will hear us when we 
call upon him." What, then, can be said for us if we neg- 
lect to call upon him? 

4. Stand in awe, Heb. tremble, and sin not ; commune 
with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. 

The enemies of Christ, as well as those of David, are here 
called to repentance, and the process of conversion is de- 
scribed. The above-mentioned consideration of the divine 
counsel, and the certainty of its being carried into execution 
by the salvation of the righteous, and the confusion of their 
enemies, makes the wicked " tremble." " The fear of the 
Lord is the beginning of wisdom:" it arrests the sinner in 
his course, and he "sins not;" he goes no farther in the 
way of sin, but stops, and reflects upon what he has been 
doing; he "communes with his own heart upon his bed, and 
is still;" his conscience suffers him not to rest in the night, 
but takes the advantage of solitude and silence, to set before 
him his transgressions with all the terrors of death and judg- 
ment; stirring him up to confess the former and deprecate 
the latter, with unfeigned compunction and sorrow of heart ; 
to turn unto the Lord, and do works meet for repentance ; to 
learn to do good, as well as to cease from doing evil. 



12 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. IV. 



5. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your 
trust in the Lord. 

The Jews are no longer to offer the shadowy sacrifices of 
their law, since He, who is the substance of them all, is 
come into the world. The Gentiles are no more to offer 
their idolatrous sacrifices, since their idols have fallen before 
the cross. But returning sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles, 
are to offer the same "sacrifices of" evangelical "righteous- 
ness; " not "putting their trust" in them, but " in the Lord 
Jesus, through whose Spirit they are enabled to offer, and 
through whose blood their offerings are acceptable unto God. 
Faith, hope, and charity, mutually stengthen each other, 
and compose " a threefold cord," which "is not easily 
broken." 

6. There be many that say, Who will show us any good? 
Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us i 

The two former verses were addressed to rebellious sin- 
ners, inviting them to repentance and reformation. This 
seems to relate to the righteous, who, in times of calamity 
and persecution, like the friends of distressed David, are 
tempted to despond, on seeing no end of their troubles. The 
Psalmist, therefore prescribes prayer to all such, as an an- 
tidote against the temptation ; he directs them in the dark- 
est night, to look toward heaven, nor doubt the return of 
day, when the rising sun shall diffuse light and salvation, and 
sorrow and sighing shall fly away. How many are continu- 
ally asking the question in this verse ! How few applying to 
Him, who alone can give an answer of peace and comfort. 

7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the 
time that their corn and wine increased. 

No sooner is the prayer preferred, but the answer is given ; 
and the devout soul declares herself to experience a joy in 
the midst of tribulation, far superior to the joy with which 
men rejoice in the time of harvest, or that of vintage ; a joy, 
bright and pure, as the regions from whence it descends. 
Such is the difference between the bread of earth, and that 
of heaven; between the juice of the grape, and the cup of 
salvation. Teach us, O Lord, to discern this difference, and 
to choose aright. 

8. J will both lay me down in peace, and sleep ; for thou, 
Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 

This conclusion affords ample matter for profitable and 



DAY I. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



13 



delightful meditation, if it be considered, first, as spoken by 
David, or any other believer; when lying down to rest, full 
of the joys of a good conscience, and faith unfeigned; se- 
condly, as pronounced by the true David, when composing 
himself to his rest, in certain hope of a resurrection. And 
happy the Christian, who having nightly, with this verse, 
committed himself to his bed, as to his grave, shall at last, 
with the same words, resign himself to his grave, as to his 
bed, from which he expects in due time to arise, and sing a 
morning hymn with the children of the resurrection. 



PSALM V. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist in affliction, 1 — 3. continues and resolves to continue instant 
in prayer; 4 — 6. declares the irreconcilable hatred which God bears 
to sin ; and 7. his own confidence of being accepted ; 8. he petitions 
for grace to direct and preserve him in the way ; 9. sets forth the 
wickedness of his enemies ; 10. foretells their punishment; and 1 1, 12. 
the salvation of the faithful. 

1. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation, 
or my dove-like mournings. 

Although nothing can really hinder or divert the divine at- 
tention, yet God is represented as "not hearing," when either 
the person is unacceptable, or the petition improper, or when 
he would thoroughly prove the faith and patience of the 
petitioner. Christ, the church, and the believing soul, are 
all in scripture styled "doves," from their possessing the 
amiable properties of that bird of meekness and innocence, 
purity and love. The "mournings" of such are always 
heard and attended to in heaven. 

2. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my 
God : for unto thee will I pray. 

The voice of the suppliant's cry will be in proportion to 
the sense which he hath of his sin. Whom should a subject 
solicit, but his king? to whom should a sinner pray, but to 
his God ? Let us often think upon the strong cryings of 
him, who suffered for the sins of the world, and upon that 
intercession, by which the pardon of those sins was procured. 



14 A COMMENTARY [FS. V. 

3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord ; in 
the morning will I direct my prayer, Heb. dispose, or set 
myself in order, unto, or for thee, and will look up. 

He who is good in earnest, and hath his heart fully bent 
upon the work of salvation, like other skilful and diligent 
artificers, will be " early" in his application to it ; he will 
get the start of the world and take the advantage of the 
"sweet hour of prime," to "dispose," and "set himself in 
order," for the day. What is a slothful sinner to think of 
himself, when he reads, concerning the holy Jesus, that "in 
the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went 
out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed ! " 
-Mark i. 35. 

4. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wicked- 
ness ; neither shall evil dwell with thee. 

The Psalmist was encouraged to make his early prayers to 
God in the day of trouble, upon this consideration, that his 
righteous cause must finally prosper, and the divine counsels 
be accomplished in his exaltation, and the depression of his 
enemies, who were likewise the enemies of God. The same 
was the case and the confidence of a suffering Messiah; and 
such is that of his church and people in the world, where 
"wickedness" may prosper, and "evil" not only live, but 
reign. Nevertheless, we know, that "God hath no pleasure" 
in them, nor shall they " dwell with him," as we hope to do. 

5. The foolish, Heb. mad, shall not stand in thy sight ; 
for thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6. Thou shalt de- 
stroy them that speak leasing, or falsehood ; the Lord doth 
abhor both the blood-thirsty and deceitful man. 

No objects of the senses can be so nauseous to them, as 
the various kinds of sin are in the sight of God. O could we 
but think, as he does, concerning these, we should rather 
choose "madness" than transgression, and as soon fall in 
love with a plague-sore, as a temptation. " Falsehood, 
blood-thirstiness, and deceitfulness," are marked out as 
characteristical of the enemies of David, of Christ, and the 
church ; and history evinces them so to have been. Let us 
never go within the infection of such pestilential crimes. 

7. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the mul- 
titude of thy mercy : and in thy fear will I worship towards 
thy holy temple. 



DAY I. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



15 



Wisdom, righteousness, trutn, mercy, and sincerity, form 
a character the reverse of that drawn in the preceding verses, 
and such an one as God will accept, when appearing before 
him in his house, and offering with humility and reverence, 
the sacrifices of the new law, as David did those of the old, 
through faith in Him who alone filled up the character, and 
procured acceptance for believers, and their oblations. 

_8. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of 
mine enemies : make thy way straight before my face. 

The child of God, admitted into his holy temple, there pre- 
fers this petition, praying to be led by the divine Spirit in 
a course of holy obedience, all impediments being removed 
out of the way, which otherwise might obstruct the progress, 
or cause the fall of one beginning to walk in the path of 
life; of one who had many "enemies" ready to contrive, to 
take advantage of, to rejoice and triumph in his ruin. Thus 
a mans enemies, while they oblige him to pray more fer- 
vently, and to watch more narrowly over his conduct, often- 
times become his best friends. 

9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth, their in- 
ward part is very wickedness ; their throat is an open 
sepulchre, they flatter with their tongue. 

A part of this verse is cited, Rom. iii. 13. together with 
several other passages from the Psalms and Prophets, to 
evince the depravity of "mankind, whether Jews or Gentiles, 
till justified by faith and renewed by grace. It is plain, there- 
fore, that the description was designed for others, besides 
the enemies of the literal David, and is of more general im- 
port, reaching to the world of the ungodly, and to the enemies 
of all righteousness, as manifested in the person of Messiah, 
and in his church. The charge brought against these is, that 
" truth " and " fidelity " were not to be found in their dealings 
with God or each other; that their " inward parts" were 
very wickedness, their first thoughts and imaginations were 
defiled, and the stream was poisoned at the fountain ; that 
their "throat was an open sepulchre," continually emitting, 
in obscene and impious language, the noisome and infectious 
exhalations of a putrid heart, entombed in a body of sin; 
and that, if ever they put on the appearance of goodness, 
they " flattered with their tongue," in order the more effec- 
tually to deceive and destroy. So low is human nature 
fallen! "O thou Adam, what hast thou done? For though 



16 A COMMENTARY [PS. V. 

it was thou that sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but we 
all that come of thee." — 2 Esd. vii. 48. 

10. Destroy thou them, O God ; let them fall by their 
own counsels : cast them out in the multitude of their trans- 
gressions, for they have rebelled against thee. 

Concerning passages of this imprecatory kind in the book 
of Psalms, it is to be observed, that they are not spoken of 
private and personal enemies, but of the opposers of God 
and his anointed ; nor of any among these, but the irreclaim- 
able and finally impenitent ; and this by way of prediction, 
rather than imprecation ; which would appear, if the original 
verbs were translated uniformly in the future tense, as they 
might be ; and indeed, to cut off all occasion from them 
which desire it, should be translated. The verse before us 
would then run thus — " Thou wilt destroy them, O God; 
they shall perish by their own counsels: thou wilt cast 
them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they 
have rebelled against thee." The words, when rendered in 
this form, contain a prophecy of the infatuation, rejection, 
and destruction of such as should obstinately persevere in 
their opposition to the counsels of heaven, whether relating 
to David, to Christ, or to the church. The fate of Ahitophel 
and Absalom, of Judas and the Jews, should warn others 
not to offend after the same example. 

11. But let all those that trust in thee rejoice ; let them 
ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them : let them 
also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Heb. All they 
that trust in thee shall rejoice, Sec. 

As the last verse foretold the perdition of the ungodly, 
this describes the felicity of the saints ; who, trusting in 
God, rejoice evermore, and sing aloud in the church the 
praises of their Saviour and mighty defender; the love of 
whose name fills their hearts with joy unspeakable, while 
they experience the comforts of grace, and expect the re- 
wards of glory. 

12. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous ; with favour 
wilt thou compass him as with a shield. 

The "blessing" of God descends upon us through Jesus 
Christ "the righteous" or "just one," as of old it did upon 
Israel through David, whom, for the benefit of his chosen, 
God protected, delivered, and placed upon the throne. 
Thou, O Christ, art the righteous Saviour, thou art the King 



DA Y" I. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



I? 



of Israel, thou art the blessed of Jehovah, the fountain of 
blessing to all believers, and thy "favour" is the defence 
and protection of the church militant. 



FIRST DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM VI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is the first of those Psalms which are styled penitential. It contains, 
1. deprecation of eternal vengeance ; and, 2, 3. a petition for pardon ; 
which is enforced from the consideration of the penitent's sufferings ; 
4. from that of the divine mercy ; 5. from that of the praise and glory 
which God would fail to receive, if man were destroyed ; 6, 7. from 
that of the penitent's humiliation and contrition; 8 — 10. the strain 
changes into one of joy and triumph, upon the success and return of 
the prayer. 

1. O -Lord) rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten 
me in thy hot displeasure. 

Let us suppose a sinner awakened to a true sense of his 
condition, and looking around him for help. Above is an 
angry God preparing to take vengeance ; beneath, the fiery 
gulf ready to receive him ; without him, a world in flames ; 
within, the gnawing worm. Thus situated, he begins, in 
extreme agony of spirit, " O Lord, rebuke me not in thine 
anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure." He 
expects that God will " rebuke" him, but only prays that it 
may not be in " anger" finally to destroy him ; he desires 
to be chastened, but chastened in fatherly love, not in the 
" hot displeasure" of an inexorable judge. As often as we 
are led thus to express our sense of sin, and dread of punish- 
ment, let us reflect on Him, whose righteous soul, endued 
with a sensibility peculiar to itself, sustained the sins of the 
world, and the displeasure of the Father. 

2. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak: O Lord, 
heal me, for my bones are vexed, Heb. shaken, or made to 
tremble. > 

The penitent entreats for mercy, first, by representing his 
pitiable case, under the image of sickness. He describes 
his soul as deprived of all its health and vigour, as languish- 
ing and fainting, by reason of sin, which had eat out the 

c 



18 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. VI. 



vitals, and shaken all the powers and supporters of the 
spiritual frame, so that the breath of life seemed to be 
departing. Enough, however, was left to supplicate the 
healing aid of the God of mercy and comfort : to petition 
for oil and wine at the hands of the physician of spirits. 
How happy is it for us that we have a physician, who cannot 
but be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, seeing that 
he himself once took them upon him, and suffered for them, 
even unto the death of the cross, under which he " fainted," 
and on which " his bones were vexed." 

3. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, OLord, how long? 
Another argument is drawn from the sense which the 

penitent hath of this his woeful condition, and the con- 
sternation and anxiety produced thereby in his troubled 
mind. These cause him to fly for refuge to the hope set 
before him. — "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick;" he 
is therefore beautifully represented as crying out, with a 
fond and longing impatience, " But thou, O Lord, how 
long ?" His strength is supposed to fail him, and the 
sentence is left imperfect. What, blessed Jesus, were thy 
"troubles," when to thy companions thou saidst, "My 
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death !" By those 
thy sorrows we beseech thee to hear the voice of thine 
afflicted church, crying to thee from the earth, " My soul 
also is sore troubled; but thou, O Lord, how long?" 

4. Return, O Lord, deliver my soul ; O save me for thy 
mercy s sake. 

A third argument is formed upon the consideraton of 
God's mercy ;" for the sake of which, as it is promised to 
penitents, he is requested to " return," or to turn himself 
toward the suppliant ; to lift up his countenance on the 
desponding heart ; to " deliver " it from darkness and the 
shadow of death, and to diffuse around it light and life, 
salvation, joy, and gladness, like the sun in the morning, 
when he revisits a benighted world, and calls up the creation 
to bless the Maker of so glorious a luminary, so bright a 
representative of redeeming love. 

5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee ; in the 
grave who shall give thee thanks ? 

The fourth argument proceeds upon a supposition, that God 
created man for his own glory, which, therefore, would be so 
far diminished, if man were permitted finally to perish. The 



DAY I. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 19 

body could not glorify God, unless raised from the dead ; 
nor could the soul, if left in hell. The voice of thanksgiving 
is not heard in the grave, and no hallelujahs are sung in the 
pit of destruction. This plea, now urged by the church, 
was urged for her, without all doubt, by her Saviour in his 
devotions, and prevailed in his mouth, as, through him, it 
will do in hers. 

6. / am weary with my groaning ; all the night make I 
my bed to swim ; I water my couch with my tears. 

The penitent is supplied with a fifth argument, by the 
signs and fruits of a sincere repentance, which put forth 
themselves in him. Such was his sorrow, and such revenge 
did he take upon himself, that for every idle word he now 
poured forth a groan, like him that is in anguish through 
extremity of bodily pain, until he was "weary," but yet 
continued groaning ; while the sad rememberance of each 
wanton folly drew a tear from the fountains of grief. The 
all-righteous Saviour himself wept over sinners; sinners 
read the story, and yet return again to their sins ! 

7. Mine eye is consumed because of grief : it waxeth old 
because of all mine enemies. 

Grief exhausts the animal spirits, dims the eyes, and 
brings on old age before its time. Thus it is said, concern- 
ing the man of sorrows, that " many were astonished at him, 
his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form 
more than the sons of men." — Isa. lii. 14. How long, in 
these times, might youth and beauty last, were godly sorrow 
their only enemy ! 

8. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity, for the 
Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. 9. The Lord 
hath heard my supplication, the Lord will hear, or, hath 
heard my prayer. 

Repentance, having performed her task, having taught 
her votary to forsake sin, and to renounce all communication 
with sinners, now gives place to faith, which appears with 
the glad tidings of pardon and acceptance, causing the peni- 
tent to rejoice in God his Saviour, with joy unspeakable ; 
and inspiring his heart with vigour and resolution to run his 
course in the way of righteousness. Risen to newness of 
life, he defies the malice, and predicts the final overthrow of 
his spiritual adversaries. 

10. Let all mine enemies, or, all mine enemies shall be 

c 2 



20 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. VII. 



ashamed j and sore vexed! let them, or, they shall return, 
and be ashamed suddenly. 

Many of the mournful Psalms end in this manner, to 
instruct the believer, that he is continually to look forward, 
and solace himself with beholding that day, when his war- 
fare shall be accomplished ; when sin and sorrow shall be 
no more ; when sudden and everlasting confusion shall cover 
the enemies of righteousness ; when the sackcloth of the * 
penitent shall be exchanged for a robe of glory, and every 
tear become a sparkling gem in his crown ; when to sighs 
and groans shall succeed the songs of heaven, set to angelic 
harps, and faith shall be resolved into the vision of the 
Almighty. 



PSALM VII. 

ARGUMENT. 

David is said to have composed this Psalm concerning the words, or the 
matter of Cush the Benjamite. Whether Saul, or Shimei, or any one 
else, be intended under this name, it is sufficiently clear, that David 
had been maliciously aspersed and calumniated by such a person ; that 
the Psalm was written to vindicate himself from the imputation, what- 
ever was the nature of it ; and, consequently, may be considered as the 
appeal of the true David and his disciples, against the grand Accuser 
and his associates. The person speaking, 1, 2. declares his trust to be 
in God ; 3 — 5. protests his innocence ; 6 — 8. desires that judgment 
may be given in the cause; 9, 10. prays for the abolition of sin, and 
the full establishment of righteousness; 11 — 13. sets forth the divine 
judgments against sinners ; 14 — 16. describes the beginning, progress, 
and end of sin ; with, 17. the joy and triumph of the faithful. 

1. O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust ; save me 
from all them that persecute me, and deliver me. 

To a tender and ingenuous spirit, the "persecution" of the 
tongue is worse than that of the sword, and with more diffi- 
culty submitted to ; as indeed a good name is more precious 
than bodily life. Believers in every age have been perse- 
cuted in this way; and the King of saints often mentions it as 
one of the bitterest ingredients in his cup of sorrows. Faith 
and prayer are the arms with which this formidable tempta- 
tion must be encountered, and may be overcome. The 
former assures us, that God can " save and deliver" us from 
it ; the latter induces him so to do. 



DAY I. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



21 



2. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, 
while there is none to deliver. 

The "lion," of whom David stood in fear, was probably 
Saul, roused, by a false accusation, to destroy him. The 
rage of tyrants is often in the same manner excited against 
the church. And we all have reason to dread the fury of 
one who is "the roaring lion," as well as the "Accuser 
of the brethren." From him none can deliver us, but 
God only. 

3. O Lord my God, if I have done this ; if there he 
iniquity in my hands ; 

David makes a solemn appeal to God, the searcher of 
hearts, as judge of his innocence, with regard to the parti- 
cular crime laid to his charge. Any person, when slandered 
may do the same. But Christ only could call upon heaven 
to attest his universal uprightness. In his " hands" there 
was "no iniquity;" all his works were wrought in perfect 
righteousness ; and when the prince of this world came to 
try and explore him, he found nothing whereof justly to 
accuse him. The vessel was thoroughly shaken, but the 
liquor in it continued pure. 

4. If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with 
me ; yea I have delivered h im that without cause was mine enemy. 

David probably alludes to the life of Saul, which was 
twice preserved by him, when he had been pressed by his 
attendants to embrace the opportunity of taking it away. — 
See 1 Sam. xxiv. xxvi. Of the Son of David St. Paul says, 
" In this he commended his love to us, that when we were sin- 
ners he died for us." — Rom. v. 8. In so exalted a sense did 
he " deliver him that without cause was his enemy." Wretch- 
ed they who persecute their benefactor ; happy he who can 
reflect, that he has been a benefactor to his persecutors. 

5. Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it ; yea, let 
him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour 
in the dust. 

These are the evils which David imprecates on himself, if 
he were such as his adversaries represented him ; persecution, 
apprehension, death and disgrace. Christ, for our sakes 
submitting to the imputation of guilt, suffered all these ; but 
being innocent in himself, he triumphed over them all ; he 
was raised and released, glorified and adored ; he pursued 
and overtook his enemies, he conquered the conquerors and 



22 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. VII. 



trampled them under his feet; and enables us, through 
grace, to do the same. 

6. Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because 
of the rage of mine enemies ; and awake for me to the judg- 
ment that thou hast commanded. 

To a protestation of innocence succeeds a prayer for judg- 
ment upon the case, which is formed on these two consider 
ations ; first, the unreasonable and unrelenting fury of the 
persecutors ; secondly, the justice which God has " com- 
manded" others to execute, and which therefore he himself 
will doubtless execute upon such occasions. How did he 
" awake," and " arise," and " lift up himself to judgment," 
on the behalf of his Anointed, in the day of the resurrection 
of Jesus, and the subsequent confusion of his enemies ? And 
let injured innocence ever comfort itself with the remem- 
brance of another day to come, when, every earth-born cloud 
being removed, it shall dazzle its oppressors with a lustre 
far superior to that of the noon-day sun. 
# 7. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee 
about ; for their sakes therefore return thou on high. 

The meaning is that a visible display of God's righteous 
judgment would induce multitudes, who should behold, or 
hear of it, to adore and glorify him. For their sakes, there- 
fore, as well as that of the sufferer, he is entreated toreascend 
the tribunal as formerly, and pronounce the wishecl-for 
sentence. Thus the determination of the cause between 
Jesus and his adversaries, by his resurrection, and " return 
on high," brought " the congregation of the nations" around 
him, and effected the conversion of the world. Nor, in 
human affairs, does any thing more advance the reputation 
of a people among their neighbours, than an equitable 
sentence in the mouth of him who sitteth in judgment. 

8. The Lord shall judge the people : judge me, O Lord, 
according to my righteousness, and according to mine in- 
tegrity that is in me. 

Conscious of his "righteousness" and "integrity," as to 
the matter in question, David desires to be judged by him, 
who is to judge the world at the last day. How few, among 
Christians, have seriously and deliberately considered, 
whether the sentence of that day is likely to be in their 
favour ! Yet, how many, with the utmost composure and 
self-complacency, repeat continually the words of this Psalm, 



DAY I. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



23 



as well as those in the TeDeum, u We believe that thou shalt 
come to be our judge ! " Legal, or perfect righteousness and 
integrity are peculiar to the Redeemer; but evangelical right- 
eousness and integrity all must have, who would be saved. 

9. O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end ; hut 
establish the just : or, the wickedness of the wicked shall, fyc. 
for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. 10. My 
defence is of God, who saveth the upright in heart. 

It is predicted, that wickedness will, in the end, be 
abolished, and the just immovably established, by Him who 
knoweth intimately the very thoughts and desires of both 
good and bad men, and will give to each their due reward. 
How can we doubt of this, when it has pleased God to afford 
so many examples and preludes to it, in his dispensations of 
old time? The righteous cause hath already triumphed in 
Christ ; let us not doubt, but that it will do so in the church. 
Happy the man, whose hope is therefore in God, because " he 
saveth the upright in heart." 

11. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with 
the wicked every day. 

The sense seems to be, that there are daily instances in 
the world of God's favour toward his people ; as also of his 
displeasure against the ungodly, who are frequently visited 
by sore judgments, and taken away in their sins. In this 
light we should consider and regard all history, whether that 
of our own age and nation, or of any other. 

12. If he turn not, he will whet his sword ; he hath bent 
his bow, and made it ready. 13. He hath also prepared for 
him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows 
against the persecutors. 

The sinner, who is not converted by the vengeance 
inflicted on others, will himself at length be made an ex- 
ample of. The wrath of God may be slow, but it is always 
sure. In thoughtless security man wantons and whiles away 
the precious hours ; he knows not that every transgression 
sets a fresh edge on the sword, which is thus continually 
whetting for his destruction ; nor considers, that he is the 
mark of an archer who never errs, and who, at this very 
instant, perhaps has fitted to the string that arrow, which 
is to pierce his soul with everlasting anguish. 

14. Behold, he travaileth with inquity, and hath conceived 
mischief, and brought forth falsehood. 



24 A COMMENTARY [PS. VII. 

This is not to be understood as if "travail " were previous 
to "conception." The first is a general expression: — "Be- 
hold he travaileth with iniquity ;" the latter part of the verse 
is more particular; as if it had been said, "and having con- 
ceived mischief, he bringeth forth falsehood." When an 
evil thought is instilled into the heart of a man, then the 
seed of the wicked one is sown ; by admitting, retaining, 
and cherishing the diabolical suggestion in his mind, he 
"conceiveth" a purpose of "mischief;" when that purpose 
is gradually formed and matured for the birth, he "travail- 
eth with iniquity;" at length by carrying it into action, he 
"bringeth forth falsehood." The purity of the soul, like 
that of the body, from whence the image is borrowed, must 
be preserved by keeping out of the way of temptation. 

15. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the 
ditch which he made. 16. His mischief shall return upon 
his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon 
his own pate. 

All the world agrees to acknowledge the equity of that 
sentence which inflicts upon the guilty the punishment in- 
tended by them for the innocent. No one pities the fate of 
a man buried in that pit which he had dug to receive his 
neighbour; or of him who owes his death-wound to the 
return of an arrow shot against heaven. Saul was over- 
thrown by those Philistines whom he would have made the 
instruments of cutting off David. Haman was hanged on his 
own gallows. The Jews, who excited the Romans to crucify 
Christ, were themselves, by the Romans, crucified in crowds. 
Striking instances these of the vengeance to be one day ex- 
ecuted on all tempters and persecutors of others ; when men 
and angels shall lift up their voices, and cry out together 
"Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are thy judgments.' 

17. / will praise the Lord according to his righteousness ; 
and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high. 

Whatever doubts may at present arise concerning the 
ways of God, let us rest assured that they will all receive 
a solution; and that the "righteousness" of the great 
Judge, manifested in his final determinations, will be the 
subject of everlasting hallelujahs. 



DAY I. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



25 



PSALM VIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is the first of those Psalms which the church has appointed to be 
read on Ascension day. It treats, as appears from Heb. ii. 6, &c. of the 
wonderful love of God, shown by the exaltation of our nature in 
Messiah, or the second Adam, to the right hand of the Majesty on high, 
and by the subjection of all creatures to the word of his power. 

1. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the 
earth ! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 

The prophet beholds in spirit the sufferings of Christ; 
and the glory that should follow; like St. Stephen afterward, 
he sees heaven opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand 
of God ; the sight fills his heart with wonder, love, and de- 
votion, which break forth in this address to "Jehovah," as 
"our Lord;" for such he is by the twofold right of creation 
and redemption, having made us, and purchased us. On 
both accounts, how " excellent," how full of beauty and 
honour is his name, diffused by the gospel through "all the 
earth ! " But more especially do men and angels admire and 
adore him for the exaltation of his "glory," the glory of the 
only-begotten, high "above the heavens," and all created 
nature, to the throne prepared for him before the foundation 
of the world. 

2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou 
ordained, Heb. founded, or, constituted strength, because of 
thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the 
avenger. 

This verse is cited by our Lord, Matt. xxi. 16, and applied 
to " little children in the temple, crying, Hosannah to the 
Son of David!" which vexed and confounded his malignant 
adversaries. The import of the words therefore, plainly is, 
that the praises of Messiah, celebrated in the church by his 
children, have in them a strength and power which nothing 
can withstand; they can abash infidelity, when at its great- 
est height, and strike hell itself dumb. In the citation made 
by our Lord, which the Evangelist gives from the Greek of 
the lxx, we read, " thou hast perfected praise," which 
seems to be rather a paraphrase than a translation of the 
Hebrew, literally rendered by our translators, " thou hast 
ordained strength." 



26 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. vxii 



3. When I considered thy heavens, the work of thy 
fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained : 
4. What is man that thou art mindful of him ? and the 
son of man, that thou visitest him. 

At the time of inditing this Psalm, David is evidently 
supposed to have had before his eyes the heavens, as they 
appear by night. He is struck with the awful magnificence 
of the wide extended firmament, adorned by the moon 
walking in brightness, and rendered brilliant by the vivid 
lustre of a multitude of shining orbs, differing from each 
other in magnitude and splendour. And when from survey- 
ing the beauty of heaven, with its glorious show, he turns to 
take a view of the creature man, he is still more affected by 
the mercy, than he had before been by the majesty of the 
Lord : since far less wonderful it is, that God should make 
such a world as this, than that He, who had made such a 
world as this, should be "mindful of man," in his fallen 
estate, and should "visit" human nature with his salvation. 

5. For thou hast made him a little, or, for a little while, 
lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and 
honour. 6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the 
works of thy hands : thou hast put all things under his feet. 

On these two verses, with that preceding, St. Paul has 
left us the following comment : — " One in a certain place 
testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him ? 
or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest 
him a little lower than \marg. a little while inferior to] the 
angels ; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and 
didst set him over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put 
all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put 
all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put 
under him. But now we see not yet all things put under 
him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than 
the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory 
and honour." — Heb. ii. 6, &c. See also 1 Cor. xv. 27. 

7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field ; 
8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and what- 
soever passeth through the paths of the sea. 

Adam, upon his creation, was invested with sovereign 
dominion over the creatures, in words of the same import 
with these, Gen. i. 28. which are therefore here used, and 
the creatures particularized, to inform us, that what the first 



DAY I. E.P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



27 



Adam lost by transgression, the second Adam regained by 
obedience. That "glory" which was "set above the hea- 
vens," could not but be over all things on the "earth." And 
accordingly, we hear our Lord saying, after his resurrection, 
"All power is given unto me in heaven and inearth." — Matt, 
xxviii. 18. Nor is it a speculation unpleasing or unprofitable, 
to consider that he who rules over the material world, is 
Lord also of the intellectual, or spiritual creation, repre- 
sented thereby. The souls of the faithful, lowly and harm- 
less, are the sheep of his pasture ; those who, like oxen, are 
strong to labour in the church, and who, by expounding the 
word of life, tread out the corn for the nourishment of the 
people, own him for their kind and beneficent Master ; nay, 
tempers fierce and untractable as the wild beasts of the desert, 
are yet subject to his will; spirits of the angelic kind, that, 
like the birds of the air, traverse freely the superior region, 
move at his command ; and those evil ones, whose habitation 
is in the deep abyss, even to the great Leviathan himself; 
all, all are put under the feet of King Messiah ; who, be- 
cause he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, 
even the death of the cross, was therefore highly exalted, 
and had a name given him above every name, that at the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow, whether of things 
in heaven, or things on earth, or things under the earth ! 
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to 
the glory of God the Father."— Phil. ii. 8, &c. 

9. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all 
the earth ! 

Let, therefore, the universal chorus of men and angels 
join their voices together, and make their sound to be heard 
as one, in honour of the Redeemer, evermore praising him, 
and saying, O Lord, our Lord Jesu Christ, King of Right 
eousness, Peace, and Glory, King of kings and Lord of 
lords, how excellent, how precious, how lovely, how great 
and glorious is thy name, diffused over all the earth, for 
the salvation of thy chosen! Blessing and honour, and 
glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, 
and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. And let heaven and 
earth say, Amen. 



28 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. IX. 



SECOND DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM IX. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm consists of two parts, a thanksgiving, 1 — 12. and a prayer, 
13 — 20. Upon what particular occasion it was composed, is not 
known ; probably, to celebrate the victories gained by David over the 
neighbouring nations, after God had exalted him to be king in Sion. 
See ver. 11. But most certainly the Psalm was intended for the use of 
the Christian church; and she continually, by using it, 1, 2. declares 
her resolution to celebrate the praises of her God ; since, 3, 4. her ene- 
mies were vanquished, and her cause was carried ; 5, 6. the empire of 
Satan was subverted ; and 7, 8. the kingdom of Christ established ; 
9, 10. affording to believers refuge and salvation. For all these 
blessings, 11. Christians are excited to praise their Redeemer ; who, 12. 
forgets nothing that is done or suffered for his sake. 13, 14. The 
church petitions for final deliverance from the world, and the evil 
thereof; 15, J 6. building her hope upon the mercies already received ; 
17, 18. she foretells the destruction of the wicked ; and, 19, 20. prays 
for the manifestation of God. 

1. 1 will 'praise thee ', O Lord, with my whole heart; I 
will shew forth all thy marvellous works. 

In this animated and exalted hymn, the church begins 
with declaring her resolution to "praise Jehovah," as the 
Author of her salvation ; and that, neither coldly, as if the 
salvation were little worth ; nor partially, reserving a share 
of the glory of it to herself; but with the " whole heart," 
with an affection pure and flaming, like the holy fire upon 
the altar. She is determined to " shew forth " to the world, 
for its conviction and conversion, " all his marvellous works," 
the most "marvellous" of which are those wrought for, and 
in the souls of men. Outward miracles strike more forcibly 
upon the senses ; but they are introductory only to those 
internal operations which they are intended to represent. 

2. I will be glad and rejoice in thee ; I will sing praise 
to thy name, O Most High. 

Christians are taught to " be glad and rejoice," not in 
abundance of wealth, or plenitude of power, not in the 
pleasures of sense, or the praise of men, but in God their 
Saviour ; and their joy is as far superior to the joy of the 
worldly, as the object of the one is to that of the other. He 
who, with the spirit and the understanding, as well as with 



DAY II. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



29 



the voice, "sings praise to thy name, O Most High," is 
employed as the angels are, and experiences a foretaste of 
the delight they feel. 

3. When mine enemies are driven back, they shall fall, or, 
they stumble, or, fall, and perish at thy presence. 

The church begins to explain the subject of her joy, which 
is a victory over her " enemies ;" a victory not gained by 
herself, but by the " presence of God" in the midst of her. 
The grand enemy of our salvation was first vanquished by 
Christ in the wilderness, and " driven back" with the 
words, " Get thee behind me, Satan." The same blessed 
person afterward completely triumphed over him upon the 
cross, when the prince of this world was cast out." This 
is that great victory, which we celebrate in Psalms, and 
hymns, and spiritual songs, from generation to generation ; 
and, through faith in him who achieved it, we likewise are 
enabled to fight and to overcome. 

4. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; 
thou satest in the throne judging right. 

The same important transaction is here described in 
forensick, as before it was in military terms. Satan, having 
gotten possession of mankind, might have pleaded his right 
to keep it, since, by transgression, they had left God, and 
sold themselves to him. But Christ, as the church's repre- 
sentative and advocate, made the satisfaction required, paid 
down the price of redemption, " took the prey from the 
mighty, and delivered the lawful captive." — Isa. xlix. 24. 
Thus was our " right and our cause maintained ;" thus we 
were rescued from the oppressor, and he who " sat on the 
throne judged righteous judgment." Something of this 
sort may be supposed to pass, concerning each individual, 
between the Accuser of the brethren and the eternal Inter- 
cessor, in the court of heaven. 

5. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed 
the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. 

To the victory of Christ succeeded the overthrow of 
Satan's empire in the pagan world. — " The heathen were 
rebuked," when, through the power of the Spirit in those 
who preached the gospel, men were convinced of sin, and 
of righteousness, and of judgment ; " the wicked were de- 
stroyed, and their name put out for ever," when the Roman 
power became Christian, and the ancient idolatry sunk to rise 



30 



A COMMENTARY 



L PS. IX. 



no more. A day is coming, when all iniquity shall perish, 
and be forgotten, in like manner. 

6. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual 
end, or, the destructions of the enemy are completed to the 
utmost ; and thou, O God, hast destroyed their cities, their 
memorial is perished with them ! # 

The Christian church, when repeating these words, may 
be supposed to take a retrospective view of the successive 
fall of those empires, with their capital "cities," in which 
the " enemy" had from time to time fixed his residence, and 
which had vexed and persecuted the people of God in 
different ages. Such were the Assyrian, or Babylonian, the 
Persian, and the Grecian monarchies. All these vanished 
away, and came to nothing. Nay, the very " memorial" of 
the stupendous Nineveh and Babylon is so " perished with 
them," that the place where they once stood is now no more 
to be found. The Roman empire was the last of the pagan 
persecuting powers; and when the church saw " that" under 
her feet, well might she cry out, " The destructions of the 
enemy are completed to the utmost !" How lovely will this 
song be, in the day when the last enemy shall be destroyed, 
and the world itself shall become what Babylon is at pre- 
sent. Next to the glory and triumph of that day, is the 
jubilee which the Christian celebrates upon his conquest 
over the body of sin. 

7. But the Lord shall endure for ever ; he hath prepared 
his throne for judgment. 8. And he shall judge the world 
in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in 
uprightness. 

In opposition to the transient nature of earthly kingdoms, 
the eternal duration of Messiah's kingdom is asserted ; as 
also its universality, extending over the whole "world;" 
together with the consummate rectitude of its administra- 
tion. To him, as supreme Judge in an unerring court of 
equity, lies an appeal from the unjust determinations here 
below : and by him in person shall every cause be reheard, 
when that court shall sit, and all nations shall be summoned 
to appear before it. 

* Bishop Lowth renders this verse to the same effect : — " Desolations 
have consumed the enemy for ever ; and as to the cities which thou, 
O Gody hast destroyed, their memory is perished with them." See 
" Merrick's Annotations on the Psalms," p. 9. 



DAY II. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



31 



9. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a 
refuge in time of trouble. 

In the mean time, and until he returneth to judgment, the 
poor in spirit, the meek and lowly penitent, however 
"oppressed in times of trouble," by worldly and ungodly 
men, and by the frequent assaults of the wicked one, still 
finding a refuge in Jesus ; who renews his strength by fresh 
supplies of grace, arms him with faith and patience, and 
animates him with the hope of glory. 

10. And they that know thy name will put their trust in 
thee : for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. 

Therefore, they who " know God's name," that is, who 
are acquainted with, and have experienced his merciful 
nature and disposition, expressed in that name, will take no 
unlawful methods to escape affliction, nor " put their trust" 
in any but " him," for deliverance ; since a most undoubted 
truth (and O what a comfortable truth !) it is, that "thou, 
Lord Jesus, hast not forsaken," nor ever wilt finally " forsake 
them that" sincerely and diligently, with their whole heart, 
" seek" to " thee" for help ; as a child, upon apprehension 
of danger, flies to the arms of its tender and indulgent parent. 

11. Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Zion ; 
declare among the people his doings. 

The church, having celebrated the power and the good- 
ness of her Lord, exhorteth all her children to lift up their 
voices, and sing together, in full chorus, the praises of him 
whose tabernacle is in " Zion," who resides with men, upon 
the mountain of his holiness, and saith, " Behold I am with 
you always, even to the end of the world." And thus, not 
only " among the people," but also to principalities and 
powers in heavenly places, will be " declared" and made 
known by the voice of thanksgiving in the church, the 
manifold wisdom and mercy of God, in his "doings" 
toward man. — See Eph. iii. 10. 

12. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth 
them, and forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 

An objection might be started to the so much extolled 
loving-kindness of God, namely, that in this world his 
faithful people are often afflicted and persecuted; nay, some- 
times suffered to be killed ail the day long, as sheep appointed 
to the slaughter. But this is obviated by the consideration, 
that all is not over, as wicked men may suppose, at death ; 



32 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. IX. 



that a strict u inquisition" wiil be appointed hereafter, when 
the "blood" of martyrs and the sufferings of confessors 
shall not be " forgotten." He remembereth " them, that 
is, those who seek, him," mentioned, verse 10. so that the 
exhortation to "sing praises," &c. ver. 11. seems parenthetic. 

13. Have mercy upo?i me, O Lord, consider the trouble 
which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up 
from the gates of death. 

We are now come to the second part of the Psalm. The 
church, after having, in the former part, strengthened her 
faith by commemoration of the mighty works God had 
wrought for her, proceeds, in this, to pour forth a prayer 
for farther and final deliverance. She speaks, as still mili- 
tant upon earth, still in an enemy's country, surrounded by 
them that hate her, and suffering much from them. To 
whom, therefore, should she address herself, but to him 
whose high prerogative it is, literally to " raise from the 
gates of death ;" to him who is, in every possible sense, 
'the resurrection and the life?" 

14. That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of 
the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in thy salvation. 

The members of the church militant despair of being able 
to " shew forth all God's praise," till they become members 
of the church triumphant. There is a beautiful contrast 
betwen " the gates of death," in the preceding verse, and 
" the gates of the daughter of Zion," or the heavenly Jeru- 
salem, in this : the one lead down to the pit, the other up 
to the mount of God ; the one open into perpetual darkness, 
the other into light eternal ; from the one proceeds nothing 
but what is evil, from the other nothing but what is good ; 
infernal spirits watch at the one, the other are unbarred by 
the hands of angels. What a blessing then is it to be 
snatched from the former, and transported to the latter ! 
Who but must " rejoice" in such " salvation ! " 

15. The heathen are sunk, or, sink down in the pit that 
they made ; in the net which they hid is their own foot 
taken. 16. The Lord is known by the judgment which 
he executeth ; the wicked is snared in the work of his own 
hands. 

Faith beholds, as already executed, that righteous judg- 
ment, whereby wicked men and evil spirits will fall into the 
perdition which they had prepared for others, either openly 



DAY" II. M. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



33 



by persecution, or more covertly by temptation. — See Ps. 
vii. 15, 16. 

17. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the 
nations that forget God. 

All wickedness came originally with the wicked one from 
hell ; thither it will be again remitted, and they who hold 
on its side must accompany it on its return to that place of 
torment, there to be shut up for ever. The true state both 
of u nations," and the individuals of which they are com- 
posed, is to be estimated from one single circumstance, 
namely, whether in their doings they remember, or "forget 
God." Remembrance of Him is the well-spring of virtue; 
forgetfulness of Him, the fountain of vice. 

18. For the needy shall not always be forgotten : the 
expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. 

They who remember God shall infallibly be remembered 
by Him; and let this be their anchor, in the most tempestuous 
seasons. The body of a martyr is buried in the earth ; and 
so is the root of the fairest flower ; but neither of them 
" perisheth for ever." Let but the winter pass, and the 
spring return, and lo, the faded and withered flower blooms; 
the body sown in corruption, dishonour, and weakness, rises 
in incorruption, glory, and power. 

19. Arise, O Lord, let not men prevail : let the heathen 
be judged in thy sight. 

And now, the Spirit and the Bride say, Come ; arise, 
O Lord Jesu, from thy throne of glory, and come quickly ; 
" let not " the " man " of sin " prevail " against thy church ; 
but let the long-depending cause between her and her 
adversaries " be judged" and finally determined "in thy 
sight." 

20. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know 
themselves to be but men. 

Strange, that man, dust in his original, sinful by his fall, 
and continually reminded of both by every thing in him 
and about him, should yet stand in need of some sharp 
affliction, some severe visitation from God, to bring him to 
the knowledge of himself, and make him feel who and what 
he is. But this is frequently the case ; and when it is, as 
there are wounds which cannot be healed without a previous 
application of caustics, mercy is necessitated to begin her 
work with an infliction of judgment. 

D 



34 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. X. 



PSALM X. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is, in the lxx, joined to the preceding, but, in the Hebrew, 
divided from it. The church, under persecution from the spirit of 
antichrist in the world, after, 1. an humble expostulation with her Lord, 
setteth down the marks whereby that spirit may be known ; such as, 
2. hatred of the faithful ; 3. self-willedness and worldly-mindedness ; 
4. infidelity ; 5, 6. profligacy and pride ; 7. profaneness and perjury ; 
8 — 10. subtilty and treachery employed against the people of God; 
1 1 . security and presumption. From the persecutions of such a spirit, 
the church, 12 — 15. prayeth earnestly to be delivered; and, 16 — 18 
through faith, rejoiceth in tribulation. 

1. Why standest thou afar off, O Lord ! Why hidest 
thou thyself in times of trouble ? 

During the conflict between the church and her adver- 
saries, God is represented as one withdrawing to a distance, 
instead of affording succour : nay, as one concealing him- 
self, so as not to be found by those who petitioned for aid 
or counsel. To behold the righteous cause oppressed, and 
good men seemingly deserted by heaven, at a time when 
they most need its assistance, is apt to offend the weak, and 
oftentimes stagger those who are strong. It is indeed a sore 
trial, but intended to make us perfect in the practice of three 
most important duties — humility, resignation, and faith. 
That we may not faint under the severity of this discipline, 
let us ever bear in mind, that the beloved Son of the Father, 
the Son in whom he was well pleased, had once occasion to 
utter these words, — " My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me ? " 

2. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor ; let 
them, or, they shall be taken in the devices that they have 
imagined. 

Inconceivable is that malignant fury, with which a con- ' 
ceited infidel persecutes an humble believer, though that 
believer hath no otherwise offended him than by being such. 
And what wonder ? since it is a copy of the hatred which 
Satan bears to Christ. But the devices of the adversaries, 
like those of their leader, will end in their own eternal 
confusion. 

3. For the wicked boast eth of his hearts desire, and 
blesseth the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth. 



DAY II. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



35 



The first part of this verse points out that alarming symp- 
tom of a reprobate mind, a disposition to exult and glory 
in those lusts, which are the shame and disgrace of human 
nature, whether the world or the flesh be their object. The 
latter clause is differently rendered, as implying either that 
" the wicked blesseth the covetous, whom God abhorreth," 
or that " the wicked, being covetous, or oppressive, blesseth 
himself, and abhorreth God." Either way, an oppressing, 
griping, worldly spirit is characterized, with its direct oppo- 
sition to the spirit of God, which teaches, that sin is to be 
confessed with shame and sorrow ; that in God alone man 
is to make his boast ; and that it is more blessed to give 
than to receive. 

4. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will 
not seek after God ; God is not in all his thoughts ; or, all 
his imaginations are, there is no God. 

The counsels of heaven are not known by the wicked, 
because they are not sought after ; and they are not sought 
after, because of a diabolical self-sufficiency, which, having 
taken possession of the heart, displays itself in the counte- 
nance, and reigns throughout the man. He wants no pro- 
phet to teach him, no priest to atone for him, no king to 
conduct him ; he needs neither a Christ to redeem, nor a 
Spirit to sanctify him ; he believes no Providence, adores 
no Creator, and fears no Judge. Thus he lives a "stranger 
from the covenants of promise, and without God in the 
world." — Eph. ii. 12. O that this character now existed 
only in the Psalmist's description ! 

5. His ways are always grievous, or, corrupt ; thy judg- 
ments are far above out of his sight ; as for all his enemies, 
he puffeth at them. 

As are a man's principles, such will be his practices ; and 
if he hath not God in his thoughts, his course of life will 
be corrupt and abominable, his end, his means, and his 
motives, being all wrong, and polluted with concupiscence. 
There would have been some chance of holding him by 
fear, but that is gone with his faith ; for no man can tremble 
at judgments in which he does not believe. 

6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I 
shall never be in adversity. 

Prosperity begets presumption; and he who has been long 

d 2 



36 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. X. 



accustomed to see his designs succeed, begins to think it 
impossible they should ever do otherwise. The long-suffer- 
ing of God, instead of leading such an one to repentance, 
only hardens him in his iniquity. Because sentence against 
an evil work is not executed speedily, he thinks it will not 
be executed at all. He vaunteth himself, therefore, like the 
proud Chaldean monarch, in the Babylon which he hath 
erected, and fondly pronounceth it to be immortal. Such, 
it is too evident, are often the vain imaginations of triumph- 
ant wickedness. 

7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and fraud; under 
his tongue is mischief and vanity. 

From the thoughts of the sinner's "heart," mentioned in 
the preceding verse, David goes on to describe the words of 
his "mouth." And here we may illustrate the character of 
antichrist, by setting that of Christ in opposition to it. The 
mouth of one poureth forth a torrent of curses and lies ; 
from that of the other flowed a clear and copious stream of 
benediction and truth. Under the serpentine tongue of the 
former is a bag of mischief and vanity ; but honey and 
milk were under the tongue of the latter, so pleasant and 
so nourishing to the spirits of men were all his commu- 
nications. 

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages : in the 
see7*et places doth he murder the innocent ; his eyes are 
privily set against the poor. 

From "words," the description proceeds to "actions." 
And with regard to these, as the Son of God went publicly 
preaching through cities and villages to save men's lives, 
so this child of Satan lieth in ambush to destroy them, 
privily bringing into the church, and diffusing among the 
people, pestilent errors, and damnable heresies, for that 
purpose. 

9. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den ; he lieth 
in wait to catch the poor; he doth catch the poor, when he 
draweth him into his net. 

The disciples of Jesus, like their blessed Master, are ever 
vigilantto catch men inthe evangelical net, in order to draw 
them from the world to God : the partisans of Satan, in 
imitation of their leader, are employed in watching, from 
their lurking places, the footsteps of the Christian pilgrim, 



DAY II. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



37 



that they may spring upon him in an unguarded moment, 
and draw him from God to the world, and from thence to 
the devil. 

10. He croucheth and humbleth himself, that the poor 
may fall by his strong ones. 

Our Lord, who is styled "the Lion of the tribe of Judah," 
became a " Lamb," for the salvation of mankind ; but when 
his adversary at any time " humbleth " himself, when the 
wolf appears in sheep's clothing, let the flock beware ; it is 
for their more effectual destruction. And if, allured by an 
outward show of moderation and benevolence, the simple 
ones shall venture themselves within his reach, they will 
soon find that his nature is disguised, but not altered. 

11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten ; he 
hideth his face, he will never see it. 

For the chastisement of his people, God often suffers the 
enemy to prevail and prosper, who then ridicules the faith 
and hope of the church, and solaces himself in the conceit, 
that if there be a God, he either knows not, or cares not 
what is done upon earth. These Epicurean notions, however 
absurd and unworthy of the Deity they may seem, do yet in 
some measure take possession of every man's mind at the 
instant of his committing a sin ; since it is most certain, that, 
with a due impression of the divine omniscience upon his 
soul at the time, he would not commit it, for all that the 
tempter could offer him. But faith is apt to sleep, and 
then sin awakes. 

12. Arise, O Lord, O God, lift up thine hand: forget 
not the humble. 13. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn 
God? He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 

The church now prays, that Jehovah, in vindication of 
his own honour and attributes, would arise to judgment, and 
make bare his glorious arm for the defence of his elect, who 
cry day and night unto him. Thus would the insolence of 
the wicked one and his agents, founded on the divine 
forbearance, be repressed, and all the world would see, 
that God had not forgotten, but still, as ever, remembered 
and regarded the low estate of his handmaid. 

14. Thou hast seen it, for thou beholdest mischief and 
spite to requite it with thine hand: the poor committeth 
himself unto thee, thou art the helper of the fatherless. 

" The wicked," above, " saith in his heart, thou wilt not 



38 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. X. 



require it." But the faithful are taught other things by the 
promises in scripture, and the experience of unnumbered 
histories. They know assuredly, that God beholds all that 
travail and vexation which some inflict, and others sustain, 
upon the earth ; and that he will infallibly recompense to 
the former their deeds, to the latter their sufferings. Desti- 
tute should we be of every earthly help, in the state of 
beggars and orphans, yet in him will we trust, who, as the 
father and protector of all such, saith unto every one of 
us, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 

15. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man : 
seek out his wickedness till thou find none. 

This may be either a prayer, or a prediction, implying 
that the time will come, when the power of Jehovah will 
dash in pieces that of the enemy, by the demolition either 
of sin or the sinner, until wickedness be come utterly to 
an end, and righteousness be established for ever in the 
kingdom of Messiah. And lo, — 

16. The Lord is King for ever and ever: the heathen 
are perished out of the land. 

Faith beholds the Lord Jesus, as already manifested in 
his glorious majesty, the kingdoms of this world become 
his, and the Canaanite no more in the land of promise. 
Each individual experiences in himself a happy prelude to 
this manifestation, when Christ rules in his heart by the 
Spirit, and every appetite and affection is obedient to the 
sceptre of his kingdom. 

17. Lord, thou hast heard, or, hearest the desire of the 
humble : thou wilt prepare, or, thou preparest their heart : 
thou wilt cause, or, thou causest thine ear to hear. 

How many important and comforting truths have we 
here, in a few words ! As, that the " humble " and lowly, 
whatever they may suffer in the world, are the favourites 
of Jehovah : that he attends to the very "desires" of their 
hearts: that such hearts "prepared" to prayer, are so 
many instruments strung and tuned by the hand of heaven : 
and that their prayer is as music, to which the Almighty 
himself listens with pleasure. 

18. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the 
man of the earth may no more oppress. 

For the sake of the elect, and their prayers, the days of 
persecution and tribulation will be shortened ; the insolence 



DAY II. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



39 



of the earth-born oppressor, the man of sin, will be chas- 
tised ; the cause of the church will be heard at the tribunal 
of God ; and victory, triumph, and glory, will be given 
unto her. In the foregoing exposition, regard has been 
chiefly had to the case of the church, and to her sufferings 
from the spirit of antichrist, in whomsoever existing and 
acting, from time to time, in the world ; this being judged 
the most generally useful application, which Christians, as 
such, can make of the Psalm. Particular accommodations 
of it to the various oppressions of innocent poverty by 
iniquitous opulence, will meet the eye, and offer themselves 
at once to persons so circumstanced, for their support and 
comfort, under their respective afflictions ; which will be 
also not a little alleviated by the consideration, that the 
whole church of God groaneth with them, and travaileth 
in pain, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption 
of the body. Then, and not till then, tears shall cease to 
run down the cheeks of misery ; and sorrow and sighing 
shall fly away, to return no more, for ever. 



PSALM XI. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist, under persecution, 1 — 3. declareth himself resolved to trust 
in God alone, at a time when he was advised to fly to some place of 
refuge ; 4. he expresses his faith in the omniscience and overruling 
power of Jehovah ; 5. assigns the reason why good men are afflicted ; 
who, after that the wicked, 6. shall be destroyed, will appear to have 
been all along, 7. the favoured of God. 

1. In the Lord put I my trust ; how say ye to my soul, 
jiee as a bird to your mountain ? 

The Christian, like David, in perilous times, should 
make God his fortress, and continue doing his duty in his 
station : he should not, at the instigation of those about 
him, like a poor, silly, timorous, inconstant bird, either fly 
for refuge to the devices of worldly wisdom, or desert his 
post, and retire into solitude, while he can serve the cause 
in which he is engaged. Nor, indeed, is there any 
" mountain" on earth out of the reach of care and trouble. 
Temptations are every where ; and so is the grace of God. 



40 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XI, 



2. For lo the wicked bend their bow, they make ready 
their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at 
the upright in heart. 

These seem to be still the words of David's friends, 
representing to him, as a motive for his flight, the extreme 
danger he was in from the " arrows" of the enemy, already, 
as it were, fitted to the " string," and pointed at him " in 
secret," so that not knowing from whence they were to 
come, he could not guard against them. The Christian's 
danger, from the darts of the infernal archers, lying in 
wait for his soul, is full as great as that of David. But 
"the shield of faith" sufficeth in both cases. 

3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righte- 
ous do ? 

This likewise seems to be spoken by the same persons, 
discouraging David from making any farther resistance, by 
the consideration that all was over; the "foundations" of 
religion and law were subverted ; and what could a man, 
engaged in the most "righteous" designs, hope to "do," 
when that was the case ? Such arguments are often urged 
by the timid, in similar circumstances ; but they are falla- 
cious ; since all is not over, while there is a man left to 
reprove error, and bear testimony to the truth. And a man 
who does it with becoming spirit, may stop a prince, or 
senate, when in full career, and recover the day. But let 
us hear David's farther reply to his advisers. 

4. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in 
heaven : his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men. 

In the first verse, the Psalmist had declared his trust to 
be in Jehovah. After reciting the reasonings of his friends, 
he now proceeds to evince the fitness and propriety of such 
trust, notwithstanding the seemingly desperate situation 
of affairs. — "Jehovah is in his holy temple ;" into which, 
therefore, unholy men, however triumphant in this world, 
can never enter : " Jehovah's throne is in heaven ; " and 
consequently superior to all power upon earth, which may 
be controlled and overruled by him in a moment : "his 
eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men;" so that 
no secret wickedness can escape his knowledge, who scru- 
tinized the hearts as well as the lives of all the sons of 
Adam. Why, then, should the man despair, who hath on 
his side holiness, omnipotence, and omniscience ? 



DAY II. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



41 



5. The Lord trieth the righteous ; but the wicked, and 
him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. 

As to the afflictions which persons may suffer, who are 
embarked in a righteous cause, they are intended to purge 
away the dross, and to refine them for the Master's use. 
"Gold," saith the son of Sirach, "is tried in the fire, and 
acceptable men in the furnace of adversity." — Ecclus. ii. 5. 
In the mean time, God's displeasure against the wicked is 
ever the same, and their prosperity, instead of benefiting, 
will in the end destroy them. The cases of David and Saul, 
Christ and the Jews, the martyrs and their persecutors, are 
all cases in point, and should be often in our thoughts, to 
teach us patience, and guard us against despair, in seasons 
of calamity, pain, or disgrace. 

6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, or, burning 
coals, jire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this 
shall be the portion of their cup. 

St. Jude, ver. 7, tells us, that the cities of Sodom, Go- 
morrah, &c. for their abominable sins, " irpoKecvrai Becyfia, 
are set forth for an example, or specimen, suffering the 
vengeance of eternal fire." And here we see the images 
are plainly taken from the dreadful judgment inflicted on 
those cities, and transferred to the vengeance of the last 
day. Then the sons of faithful Abraham shall behold 
a prospect, like that which once presented itself to the 
eyes of their father : when rising early in the morning, and 
looking toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the 
land of the plain, he " beheld, and lo, the smoke of the 
country went up as the smoke of a furnace !" — Gen. xix. 28. 
Such must be the " portion of their cup," who have dashed 
from them the cup of salvation. He, therefore, who would 
enjoy the prosperity of the wicked here, must take with it 
their torment hereafter ; as he who is ambitious of wearing 
the crown of righteousness in heaven, must be content to 
endure tribulation upon earth. 

7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his 
countenance doth behold the upright. 

He who is in himself essential righteousness, cannot but 
love his own resemblance, wrought in the faithful by his 
good Spirit ; with a countenance full of paternal affection, 
he beholds, and speaks peace and comfort to them, in the 
midst of their sorrows ; until admitted, through mercy, to 



42 A COMMENTARY [PS. XII. 

the glory, from which justice excludes the wicked, and 
beholding that countenance which has always beheld them, 
they shall enter upon a life of boundless and everlasting 
felicity. 



SECOND DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The church, through David, 1, 2. laments the decrease of God's faithful 
servants, and the universal corruption among men ; but, 3 — 5. rests 
upon the divine promises, the truth and certainty of which, 6, 7. she 
celebrates, and comforts herself therewith, while in a world where 
oftentimes, 8. the wicked walk uncontrolled. 

1. Help, Heb. save, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth ; 
for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 

Our Lord foretells, that in the latter days, " because ini- 
quity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold ! " and 
seems to question whether, " when the son of man cometh, 
he shall find faith upon the earth." The universal depra- 
vity of Jew and Gentile caused the church, of old, to pray 
earnestly for the first advent of Christ ; and a like depravity 
among those who call themselves Christians, may induce 
her to pray no less earnestly for his appearance the second 
time unto salvation. It is frequently a benefit, to be des- 
titute of help from man, both as it puts us upon seeking it 
from God, and inclines him to grant it, when we do seek. 

2. They speak vanity, or, a lie, every one with his neigh- 
bour : with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they 
speak. 

When men cease to be faithful to their God, he who 
expects to find them so to each other, will be much dis- 
appointed. The primitive sincerity will accompany the 
primitive piety in her flight from the earth; and then 
interest will succeed conscience in the regulation of human 
conduct, till one man cannot trust another farther than he 
holds him by that tie. Hence, by the way, it is, that 
although many are infidels themselves, yet few choose to 



DAY II. E. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



43 



have their families and dependants such ; as judging, and 
rightly judging, that true Christians are the only persons 
to be depended on, for the exact discharge of social duties. 

3. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the 
tongue that speaketh proud things : 4. Who have said, 
With our tongue will ice prevail, our lips are our oivn : 
who is Lord over us? 

They who take pleasure in deceiving others, will at the 
last find themselves most of all deceived, when the Sun of 
truth, by the brightness of his rising, shall at once detect 
and consume hypocrisy. And as to men of another stamp, 
who speak great swelling words of vanity; who vaunt 
themselves in the arm of flesh, thinking to prevail by 
human wit, or human power ; equally deplorable will be 
their case, when the Lord God " omnipotent " reignetn. 

5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the 
needy, now will L arise, saith the Lord, L will set him in 
safety from him that puffeth at him. 

For the consolation of the afflicted and poor in spirit, 
Jehovah is here introduced promising, out of compassion 
to their sufferings, to " arise, and set them in safety," or 
place them in a state of "salvation." Such all along has 
been his promise to the church, who by looking back to 
the deliverances wrought of old for the servants of God, 
and, above all, to that wrought for the Son of God, is now 
encouraged to look forward, and expect her final redemp- 
tion from the scorn and insolence of infidelity. 

6. The words of the Lord are pure words ; as silver 
tried in a furnace, or, crucible of earth, purified seven times. 

The church rejoices in the promises of God her Saviour, 
because they are such as she can confide in. His words are 
not like those of deceitful boasting man, but true and right- 
eous altogether. Often have they been put to the test, in the 
trials of the faithful, like silver committed to the furnace, in 
an earthen crucible : but like silver in its most refined and 
exalted purity, found to contain no dross of imperfection, no 
alloy of fallibility in them. The words of Jehovah are holy 
in his precepts, just in his laws, gracious in his promises, 
significant in his institutions, true in his narrations, and in- 
fallible in his predictions. What are the thousands of gold 
and silver, compared to the treasures of the sacred page ! 



44 



A COMMENTARY 



|_PS. XIJI. 



7. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve 
them from this generation for ever. 

As if it had been said, Yes, blessed Lord, what thou 
hast promised shall surely be performed, since there is with 
thee no variableness, nor shadow of turning : thou wilt 
keep thy poor and lowly servants, as thou hast promised, 
from being circumvented by treachery, or crushed by power ; 
thou wilt preserve them undefiled amidst an evil and adult- 
erous generation ; thou wilt be with thy church to the end 
of the world, and then admit her to be with thee for ever. 

8. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men 
are exalted. 

While the faithful repose, as they ought to do, an unlimited 
confidence in God's promises, they have, in the mean time, 
but too much reason to mourn the prevalence of wickedness, 
stalking, like its author, to and fro, and up and down in the 
earth, uncontrolled by those who bear the sword, but who 
either blunt its edge, or turn it the wrong way. Such is often 
the state of things here below ; and a reflection, made upon 
the subject by our Lord, when his enemies drew near to ap- 
prehend him, may satisfy us how it comes to be so : — "It is 
your hour, and the power of darkness." But that hour will 
quickly pass with us, as it did with him, and the power of 
darkness will be overthrown ; the Lord will be our everlast- 
ing light, and the days of our mourning shall be ended. 



PSALM XIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm contains, 1, 2. a complaint of desertion; 3, 4. a prayer for 
the divine assistance; 5, 6. an act of faith and thanksgiving. 

1. How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever? 
How long wilt thou hide thy face from me ? 

While God permits his servants to continue under afflic- 
tion, he is said, after the manner of men, to have " for- 
gotten and hid his face from them." For the use, therefore, 
of persons in such circumstances, is this Psalm intended ; 
and, consequently, it suits the different cases of the church 



DAY II. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



45 



universal, languishing for the advent of our Lord, to deliver 
her from this evil world ; of any particular church, in time 
of persecution ; and of each individual, when harassed by- 
temptations, or broken by sickness, pain, and sorrow. He 
who bore our sins, and carried our sorrows, may likewise 
be presumed to have made it a part of his devotions, in the 
day of trouble. 

2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sor- 
row in my heart daily ? How long shall mine enemy be 
exalted over me? 

To excite compassion, and prevail for help from above, 
the petitioner mentions three aggravating circumstances of 
his misery ; the perplexity of his soul, not knowing which 
way to turn, or what course to take ; his heartfelt sorrow, 
uttering itself in sighs and groanings; and the mortifying 
reflection, that his enemies were exulting in their conquest 
over him. All this will happen, and be particularly painful, 
to him who has yielded to temptation, and committed sin. 

3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God ; lighten mine 
eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. 

On the preceding considerations is founded a prayer to 
Jehovah, that he would no longer hide his face, but "con- 
sider," or, more literally, "have respect to, favourably 
behold" his servant ; that he would "hear, attend to, be 
mindful of," his supplication in distress. The deliverance 
requested is expressed figuratively, — "Lighten mine eyes, 
lest I sleep the sleep of death." In time of sickness and 
grief, the "eyes" are dull and heavy; and they grow more 
and more so, as death approaches, which closes them in 
darkness. On the other hand, health and joy render the 
organs of vision bright and sparkling, seeming, as it were, 
to impart "light " to them from within. The words, there- 
fore, may be fitly applied to a recovery of the body natural, 
and thence, of the body politic, from their respective mala- 
dies. Nor do they less significantly describe the restoration 
of the soul to a state of spiritual health and holy joy, which 
will manifest themselves in like manner, by "the eyes of 
the understanding being enlightened ; " and in this case, 
the soul is saved from the sleep of sin, as the body is, in 
the other, from the sleep of death. 

4. Lest mine enemy say, 1 have prevailed against him ; 
and those that trouble me rejoice when L am moved. 



46 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XIV. 



This argument we often find urged in prayer to God, that 
he should be pleased to work salvation for his people, lest 
his and their enemies should seem to triumph over him, as 
well as them ; which would indeed have been the case, had 
Satan either seduced the true David to sin, or confined him 
in the grave. And, certainly, it should be a powerful motive 
to restrain us from transgression, when we consider, that as 
the conversion of a sinner brings glory to God, and causes 
joy among the angels of heaven, so the fall of a believer 
disgraces the gospel of Jesus, opens the mouths of the ad- 
versaries, and would produce joy, if such a thing could be, 
in hell itself. 

5. But I have trusted, or, / trust in thy mercy, my heart 
shall rejoice, or, rejoices in thy salvation. 6. I will sing unto 
the Lord, because he hath dealt, or, deals bountifully with me. 

The heart, which "trusteth in God's mercy," shall alone 
"rejoice in his salvation," and celebrate by the tongue, in 
songs of praise, the loving-kindness of the Lord. It is ob- 
servable, that this, and many other Psalms, with a mournful 
beginning, have a triumphant ending; to show us the pre- 
vailing power of devotion, and to convince us of the certain 
return of prayer, sooner or later, bringing with it the com- 
forts of heaven, to revive and enrich our weary and barren 
spirits in the gloomy seasons of sorrow and temptation, like 
the dew descending by night upon the withered summit of 
an eastern mountain. 



PSALM XIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is in a manner the same with the 53d. It sets forth, 1 — 3. 
the corruption of the world ; 4 — 6. its enmity against the people of 
God ; 7. the prophet longs and prays for salvation. 

1. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God : they 
are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none 
that doth good. 

It does not appear upon what occasion David composed 
this Psalm. The revolt of Israel in Absalom's rebellion is 
by most writers pitched upon as the subject of it. But be 



DAY II. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



47 



this as it may, the expressions are general, and evidently 
designed to extend beyond a private interpretation. And, 
accordingly, the apostle, Rom. iii. 10, &c. produces some 
passages from it, to evince the apostasy of both Jews and 
Gentiles from their King and their God, and to prove them 
to be all under sin. In this light therefore, we are to con- 
sider it, as characterizing the principles and practices of 
those who oppose the gospel of Christ in all ages. — " The 
fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." Infidelity is the 
beginning of sin, folly the foundation of infidelity, and the 
heart the seat of both. — " Their foolish heart (says St. Paul 
of the heathen, Rom. i. 21.) was darkened." The sad 
consequence of defection in principle, is corruption in prac- 
tice. — " They are corrupt, they have done abominable 
works, there is none that doth good." On these words 
the reader may see a full comment, Rom. i. 28 — 32. 

2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of 
men to see if there was any that did understand, and seek 
God. 3. They are all gone aside, they are all together become 
filthy, or, putrefied : there is none that doth good, no, not one. 

Like a watchman on the top of some lofty tower, God is 
represented as surveying from his heavenly throne the sons 
of Adam, and their proceedings upon the earth : he scruti- 
nizes them, and, as it were, searches diligently to find among 
them a man of true wisdom, one whose heart was turned 
toward the Lord his God, one who was inquiring the way to 
salvation and glory, that he might walk therein. But as 
the result of this extensive and accurate survey, God in- 
forms his prophet and commissions him to inform the world 
that all had declined from the paths of wisdom and right- 
eousness : that the mass of human nature was become pu- 
trid, requiring to be cleansed, and the vessels made of it to 
be formed anew. Such is the scripture account of man, not 
having received grace, or having fallen from it ; of man with- 
out Christ, or in arms against him. — See Rom. iii. 11, 12. 

4.* Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge! who eat 
up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord. 

* Between the preceding verse and this are three others inserted in our 
common translation, which though taken by St. Paul from other parts of 
scripture, yet, because (Rom. iii. 13.) they followed the words cited from 
this Psalm, were probably added thereunto in this place by some transcri- 
bers of the copies of the lxx. For in other copies of the lxx they 
exist not any more than in the Hebrew, Chaldee, or Syriac. 



48 



A COMMENTARY" 



PS. XIV. 



The "workers of iniquity" work for the wages of death; 
they fight against God and their own souls ; they barter 
eternity for time, and part with happiness for misery, both 
in possession and reversion. Well therefore may it be 
asked, "Have they no knowledge ?" For common sense, 
after all, is what they want. They who, with an appetite 
keen as that to their food, prey upon the poor, and devour 
the people of God, will themselves be preyed upon and 
devoured by that roaring lion, whose agents for the present 
they are; and such as now "call not on" the name of 
"the Lord" Jesus for pardon and salvation shall hereafter 
call in vain upon the rocks and mountains to shelter them 
from his power and vengeance. 

5. There were they in great fear; for God is in the 
generation of the righteous. 

In the parallel place, Ps. liii. 5. after the words, "There 
were they in great fear," are added these, "where no fear was, 
which certainly connect better with what follows, — " For 
God is in the generation of the righteous." David is sup- 
posed to be speaking primarily of Israel's defection from him 
to Absalom, and here to be assigning the motive of that 
defection in many, namely, fear of the rebel's growing power, 
and distrust of his ability to protect them ; which fear, he 
observes, was groundless, because his cause was the cause 
of God, who would not fail to appear in its support and 
vindication. The subjects of Christ, in times of persecution, 
are often tempted to renounce their allegiance, upon the 
same principle of fear; although of them it may more empha- 
tically be said, that they "fear where no fear is, since God 
is in the generation of the righteous;" and they who are 
engaged on the side of Messiah, will, in the end, most assur- 
edly be triumphant. The latter clause of this verse, in 
Ps. liii. runs thus, "For God hath scattered, or shall scatter, 
the bones of him that encampeth against thee ; thou hast, or 
shalt put them to shame, because God hath despised them," 
the sense of which is evidently the same with — " God is in 
the generation of the righteous;" he will defend them, and 
overthrow their enemies ; therefore let them not fear, neither 
let their hearts be troubled. If this interpretation be disap- 
roved, the words, " There were they in great fear," must 
e understood of the enemy; and the clause, "where no 
fear was," must be rendered interrogatively thus, "And was 



DAY III. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



49 



there not cause for them to fear ? since God is in the gene- 
ration of the righteous, or will scatter the bones of him that 
encampeth against thee," &c. 

6. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor ; because the 
Lord is his refuge. 

This is plainly addressed to the adversaries, and charges 
them with reproaching and scoffing at that confidence in the 
Lord, expressed by the afflicted righteous in the preceding 
verse. 

7. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion I 
When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, 
Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. 

The consideration of the apostasy and corruption of man- 
kind, described in this Psalm, makes the prophet express a 
longing desire for the salvation of Israel, which was to go 
forth out of Zion, and to bring back the people of God from 
that most dreadful of all captivities, the captivity under sin 
and death; a salvation, at which Jacob would indeed rejoice, 
and Israel be glad. And how doth the whole church, at 
this time, languish for the consummation of her felicity, 
looking, even until her eyes fail, for that glorious day of final 
redemption, when every believing heart shall exult, and all 
the sons of God shout aloud for joy ! 



THIRD DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is one of the Psalms appointed to be used on Ascension day. The 
prophet, 1. inquires concerning the person, who should ascend into the 
holy hill, and dwell in the temple of Jehovah ; 2 — 5. he receives, in 
answer to his question, a character of such person. 

1. Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall 
dwell in thy holy hill ? 

The prophet alludes to the hill of Sion in the earthly 
Jerusalem, to the tabernacle of God which was thereon, and 
the character of the priest, who should officiate in that taber- 
nacle. But all these were figures of a celestial Jerusalem, 



50 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XV. 



a spiritual Sion, a true tabernacle, and an eternal Priest 
To the great originals therefore we must transfer our ideas, 
and consider the inquiry as made after Him, who should 
fix his resting place on the heavenly mount, and exercise 
his unchangeable priesthood in the temple not made with 
hands. And since the disciples of this new and great High 
Priest become righteous in him, and are by the Spirit con- 
formed to his image, the character which essentially and 
inherently belongs only to him, will derivatively belong to 
them also, who must follow his steps below, if they would 
reign with him above. 

2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteous- 
ness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 

The man, therefore, who would be a citizen of Zion, and 
there enter into the rest and joy of his Lord, must set that 
Lord always before him. Renewed through grace, endued 
with a lively faith, and an operative charity, he must con- 
sider and imitate the life of that blessed person, who walked 
amongst men without partaking of their corruption; who 
conversed unblameably with sinners; who could give this 
challenge to his inveterate enemies — "Which of you con- 
vinceth me of sin?" in whom the grand accuser, when he 
came, "found nothing;" who, being himself "the truth," 
thought and spake of nothing else ; making many promises, 
and performing them all. 

3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to 
his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. 

Who, knowing the sins, follies, and infirmities of all 
mankind, made his tongue an instrument, not of disclosing 
and exasperating, but of covering and healing these sores 
in human nature; who, esteeming every son of Adam as 
his neighbour, went about doing good ; and then laid down 
his life, and resigned his breath in prayer for his murder- 
ers; who, instead of taking up a reproach, and listening to 
the calumniator, cast him out and silenced him, by erasing 
the hand-writing that was against us, and nailing the can- 
celled indictment to the cross. 

4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ; but he 
honoureth them that fear the Lord ; he that swear eth to his 
own hurt, and changeth not. 

Who rejected the wicked, however rich and honourable; 



DAY III. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



51 



and chose the well inclined, however poor and contemptible 
in the world ; who having, by covenant with the Father, 
engaged to keep the law ; and to taste death for every man, 
went willingly and steadily through this work, and sur- 
mounted every obstacle which could be thrown in his way, 
until he declared, concerning the task appointed him, " It 
is finished." 

5. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh 
reward against the innocent. 

Who was so far from desiring to amass the earthly mam- 
mon, that he would touch none of it ; and received the true 
riches, only that he might bestow them upon others ; who, 
instead of taking a reward against the innocent, died for the 
guilty, and whose sentence, when he shall sit on the throne 
of judgment, will be equally impartial and immutable. 

6. He that doth these things shall never be moved. 

In the above comment, it was thought most adviseable to 
open and display the full intent of what was both enjoined 
and forbidden, by exemplifying each particular, as receiving 
its utmost completion, in the character and conduct of our 
blessed Lord. And whoever shall survey and copy these 
virtues and graces, as they present themselves in his life, 
will, it is humbly apprehended, take the best and shortest 
way to the heavenly Zion, and make that use of the 15th 
Psalm, which the church may be supposed to have had in 
view, when she appointed it as one of the proper Psalms 
for Ascension day. 



PSALM XVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

Upon whatever occasion, or in whatever distress, David might compose 
this Psalm, we are taught by St. Peter and St. Paul, Acts ii. 25. and 
xiii. 35. to consider him as speaking in the person of our Lord Christ, 
of whom alone the latter part of the Psalm is true. The contents are, 
1. a prayer for support ; 2, 3. a declaration of love to the saints ; 4. a 
protestation against idolaters ; 5 — 8. acts of love, joy, and confidence 
in Jehovah ; and 9 — 1 1 . one of hope in an approaching resurrection 
and glorification. 

1. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. 
These words are evidently spoken by one in great distress, 

£ 2 



52 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVI. 



who addresses himself to heaven for support under his 
sufferings, pleading his confidence in God, still unshaken 
by all the storms that had set themselves against it. This 
might be the case of David, and may be that of any believer. 
But since the Psalm is a continued speech without change 
of person, we may consider the whole as uttered by him, 
who only could utter the concluding verses, and who in 
this first verse makes his supplication to the Father, for the 
promised and expected deliverance. 

2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my 
Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee ; 3. But to the 
saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is 
all my delight. 

In the Chaldee and Syriac, the latter clause of the former 
of these two verses is rendered — " My goodness is from 
thee." An ingenious writer thinks the Hebrew will bear 
this sense, in the elliptical way, thus — " My goodness ! 
shall I mention that ? By no means ; it is all to be ascribed 
to thee." The goodness of man is all derived from God, 
and should be extended to his brethren. That of Messiah 
owed its original to his union with the Divinity ; and pro- 
moted the salvation of those to whom it was communicated, 
that is to say, of those who thereby became " the saints 
and excellent ones in the earth." For their sakes obedience 
was performed, and propitiation made, by the Son of God, 
because he loved them with an everlasting love, and placed 
"all his delight" in making them happy. He "rejoiced 
in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights were 
with the sons of men. — Prov. viii. 31. 

4. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after 
another god : their drink-offerings of blood will L not offer, 
nor take up their names into my lips. 

Christ denounceth vengeance against those who should 
make to themselves other gods, run after other saviours, or 
suffer any creature to rival him in their affections ; declaring 
of such, that their offerings should not be presented by him 
to the Father, nor should they be partakers of the benefits 
of his intercession. Even the bloody sacrifices of the law, 
instituted for a time by God himself, became abominable to 
him when that time was expired, and the one great sacrifice 
had been offered upon the altar of the cross. 

5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of 



DAY III. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



my cup; thou maintainest my lot. 6. The lines are fallen 
unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly heritage. 

The true David, anointed to his everlasting kingdom, yet 
first a man of sorrows and a stranger upon earth, prefers the 
promised inheritance of the church, that spiritual kingdom, 
city, and temple of Jehovah, before all the kingdoms of 
this world, and the glory of them ; he is sure that Jehovah 
will maintain his lot, that he will both give and preserve to 
him this his patrimony ; and therefore rejoices at the divine 
beauty and excellency of the heavenly Canaan. And hence 
the Christian learns wherein his duty and his happiness 
consist ; namely, in making choice of God for " the portion 
of his inheritance and of his cup," for his support and for 
his delight : in preferring the Spirit to the flesh, the church 
to the world, and eternity to time. 

7. I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel ; my 
reins also instruct me in the night season. 

The person speaking here blesses Jehovah for communi- 
cating that divine " counsel," that celestial wisdom, by 
which he was incited and enabled to make the foregoing 
choice and resolution. In the latter part of the verse is 
intimated the mode of these gracious and spiritual commu- 
nications, which in the dark seasons of adversity were 
conveyed to the inmost thoughts and affections of the mind, 
thereby to instruct, to comfort, and to strengthen the suf- 
ferer, until his passion should be accomplished, and the 
morning of the resurrection should dawn, in which, as we 
shall see, all his hopes and confidence were placed. 

8. / have set the Lord always before me ; because he is 
at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 

The method taken by Christ, as man, to support him- 
self in time of trouble, and persevere unto the end, was to 
maintain a constant actual sense of the presence of Jehovah, 
whom when he thus saw standing at his right hand, ready, 
at the appointed hour, to succour and deliver him, he then 
feared not the powers of earth and hell combined for his 
destruction. Why are our fears great, but because our 
faith is little ? 

9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth ; 
my flesh also shall rest in hope. 

Through confidence in the almighty power engaged on 



54 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVI. 



his side, joy filled the heart of Christ, and rendered his 
tongue an instrument of giving glory to Jehovah in the 
midst of his sufferings ; because when they were ended, as 
they must soon be, his flesh was only to make its bed, and 
rest awhile in the grave, after the labours of the day, in 
sure and certain hope of a speedy resurrection and glorifi- 
cation. This same consideration is to the afflicted, the sick, 
and the dying Christian, a never-failing source of comfort, 
an inexhaustible fountain of joy : sin and infidelity are the 
enemies, who would fill it with earth. 

10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell: neither wilt 
thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. 

It was a part of the covenant of grace, and promised by 
the mouth of God's prophets, that after the death of 
Messiah, his animal frame should not continue, like 
those of other men, in the grave, TWtt) nor should corrup- 
tion be permitted to seize on the body, by which all others 
were to be raised to incorruption and immortality. As 
members of Christ, this same promise and assurance is so 
far ours, that although our mortal part must see corrup- 
tion, yet it shall not be finally left under the power of the 
enemy, but shall be raised again, and reunited to its old 
companion the soul, which exists, mean while, in secret 
and undiscerned regions, there waiting for the day when 
its Redeemer shall triumph over corruption, in his mysti- 
cal, as he hath already done, in his natural body. 

11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life ; in thy presence 
is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures for 
evermore. 

The return of Christ from the grave is beautifully described 
by Jehovah " showing," or discovering to him a " path of 
life," leading through the valley of the shadow of death, 
and from that valley to the summit of the hill of Zion, or to 
the mount of God in heaven, on which he now sits enthroned. 
There, exalted at the right hand of the Father, that human 
body, which expired on the cross, and slept in the sepulchre, 
lives and reigns, filled with delight, and encircled by glory 
incomprehensible and endless. Through this thy beloved 
Son and our dear Saviour, "thou shalt show" us likewise, 
O Lord, " the path of life ; " thou shalt justify our souls by 
thy grace now, and raise our bodies by thy power at the 



DAY III. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



55 



last day ; when earthly sorrow shall terminate in heavenly 
joy, and momentary pain shall be rewarded with ever- 
lasting felicity. 



PSALM XVII. 

ARGUMENT., 

The Psalmist, confiding in the justice of his cause, 1 — 4. prayeth for a 
hearing and decision of it ; 5 — 9. he petitioneth for the divine guidance 
and protection; 10 — 12. he describeth the temper and behaviour of 
his enemies ; 13, 14. beseecheth God to disappoint them, and to deliver 
him ; he endeth with an act of faith. 

1. Hear the right, O Lord, or, Hear, O righteous Lord, 
attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth 
not out of feigned lips. 

The righteousness of the Judge, and the importunity and 
sincerity of the petitioner, are the arguments here urged 
for a speedy and favourable determination. Slander and 
calumny were the portion of David, and of a greater than 
David, till the righteous Lord manifested himself on their 
behalf. And shall not God, in like manner, judge and 
avenge the cause of " his own elect, who cry day and 
night unto him ; I tell you, saith Christ himself, that he 
will avenge them speedily." — Luke xviii. 8. " Men ought 
always to pray, therefore, and not to faint." 

2. Let my sentence come forth from thy presence: let 
thine eyes behold the things that are equal. 

A court of equity is ever sitting in heaven to receive 
appeals from the wrongful decisions of men here below ; 
and in that court a Judge presides, whose impartial hand 
holds the scales of justice even ; whose unerring eye marks 
the least inclination of either ; and from whose sentence 
injured innocence is therefore taught to expect redress. 

3. Thou hast proved mine heart, thou hast visited me in 
the night ; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing ; I 
am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. 

The sufferer's "heart condemns him not, and he has 
confidence toward God," to whom he applies as the proper 
Judge, because the only witness of his integrity. God had 
"proved" not only his words and actions, but his " heart," 



56 



A 



COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVII* 



which man could not do: God had "visited," observed, and 
explored him " in the night," when secrecy and solitude 
prompt the hypocrite to sin, and when the undisciplined 
imagination wanders abroad, like the bird of darkness, 
after forbidden objects : God had " tried " him, as silver 
or gold, in the fiery furnace of adversity ; and if there be 
any dross or scum in the metal, it will then rise to the 
top, and show itself : yet nothing appeared, not so much 
as the alloy of an intemperate word. Absolutely and uni- 
versally this could only be true of the holy Jesus ; however, 
through his grace, it may be true of some of his disciples 
in particular instances of crimes falsely laid to their charge. 
Let us pray that it may be true of us, whenever God shall 
please to prove and try us. 

4. Concerning the works of men, by the word of his lips 
I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. 

The way to hold fast our integrity in time of temptation 
is here pointed out. "Concerning the works of men," that 
is, such works as fallen, depraved man has recourse to, 
when in distress ; " by the word of thy lips," by treasuring 
up thy word in my heart, as the rule of my actions, and the 
guide of my life ; " I have watched" — observed, that is, in 
order to avoid " the paths of the destroyer." This seems 
to be the literal construction, and to convey the full meaning 
of the verse, which contains exactly the same sentiment 
with that in Psalm cxix. 11. — " Thy word have I hid in mine 
heart, that I might not sin against thee." If the word either 
be not in the heart at all, or if it be not there in such a 
manner as to be ready at all times for use and application, 
the man is in danger, at every turn, of going astray. 

5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps 
slip not. 

The word of God affords us direction, but the grace of 
God must enable us to follow its direction, and that grace 
must be obtained by Prayer. The "paths of God" are 
opposed to the "paths of the destroyer," the way of 
. righteousness to that of sin. The image here is taken from 
one walking in a slippery path, for such is that of human 
life, by reason of temptations ; so that the believer, espe- 
cially if he be young, feeble, and inexperienced, has great 
need of a divine supporter in every step he takes. 



DAY III. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



57 



6. / have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, or, 
because thou hast heard me, O God: incline thine ear to 
me and hear my speech. 

The sweet experience of former deliverances giveth a 
comfortable assurance of protection in present and future 
dangers ; and this should cause us to fly for refuge at all 
times, by strong supplication and prayer, to Him who is 
able and willing to save us from death. 

7. Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness, O thou that 
savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee 
from those that rise up against them. 

This is an address to the " loving-kindness," or mercy of 
God, which the Psalmist entreats him to display and mag- 
nify in his favour, since it was the promise, the delight, 
and the glory of Jehovah, to save those who believed and 
trusted in Him. There are two ways of rendering the 
latter clause of this verse : either, " Thou who savest by 
thy right hand," &c. as our translation has it ; or, " Thou 
that savest them which put their trust in thee from those 
that rise up at, or against, thy right hand," meaning the 
opposers of the divine counsels and dispensations ; as in 
Zech. hi. 1. Satan is said to "stand at Joshua's right 
hand," to obstruct the building of the temple. 

8. Keep me as the apple of the eye ; hide me under the 
shadow of thy wings. 9. From the wicked that oppress me, 
from my deadly enemies, who compass me about. 

He who has so fenced and guarded that precious and 
tender part, the pupil of the eye, and who has provided for 
the security of a young and helpless brood under the wings 
of their dam, is here entreated to extend the same provi- 
dential care and parental love to the souls of his elect, 
equally exposed to danger, equally beset with enemies. 
Of his readiness so to do he elsewhere assureth us, under 
the same exquisite imagery. Zech. ii. 8. — " He that 
toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye." Matt, xxiii. 
37. — "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have 
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth 
her chickens under her wings ! " 

10. They are inclosed in their own fat ; with their mouth 
they speak proudly. 

The last argument made use of by the Psalmist, in his 
address to God, is the character of his adversaries. He 



58 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVII. 



begins with their "pride," and its cause, " fulness of bread," 
or high living. Dr. Hammond prefers the rendering which 
follows ; — " They have shut up their mouth with fat ; they 
speak proudly." Either way the meaning plainly is, that 
pride is the child of plenty, begotten by self-indulgence, 
which hardens the hearts of men against the fear of God, 
and the love of their neighbours ; rendering them insensible 
to the judgments of the former, and the miseries of the 
latter. Let every man take care, that, by pampering the 
flesh, he do not raise up an enemy of this stamp against 
himself. 

1 1 . They have now compassed us in our steps : they have 
set their eyes bowing down to the ground, 

" They have compassed us in our steps ;" that is, literally, 
Saul and his followers had watched, pursued, and at last 
hemmed in David and his men :- — " They have set, or fixed 
their eyes " upon us, v, " to lay us prostrate upon 

the earth," or finally to make an end of us. Such are our 
spiritual enemies ; such is their intention, and our danger. 

12. Like as a Lion that is greedy of its prey, and as it 
were a young lion lurking in secret places. 

The similitude of a lion, either roaring abroad in quest 
of his prey, or couching in secret, ready to spring upon it 
the moment it comes within his reach, is often employed by 
David to describe the power and malice of his enemies. 
Christians cannot forget, that they likewise have an adver- 
sary of the same nature and character ; one ever seeking 
whom, and contriving how, he may devour. 

13. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver 
my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword ; 14. From 
men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, 
which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou 
fillest with thy hid treasure : they are full of children, and 
leave the rest of their substance to their babes. 

The Psalmist, having characterized those who pursued 
after him to take away his life, now entreats God to "arise," 
or appear in his cause, to "disappoint," or "prevent" the 
enemy in his designs, and to " cast him down," to overthrow 
and subdue him. The next words may be thus rendered ; 
" Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword, from men 
by thy hand, O Lord, from the men of the world ;" the 
expressions, " sword and hand of Jehovah," being frequently 



DAY III. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



59 



used to denote his power and vengeance. The DTIE, 
or " mortals of the transitory world," from whom David 
prays to be delivered, are said to be such as have " their 
portion in this life," such as, in our Saviour's language, 
"have their reward here, and are not to expect it hereafter; 
"whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure;" whom 
thou permittest to enjoy thy temporal blessings in abund- 
ance, to "receive their good things" upon earth, and to 
"fare sumptuously every day;" as if it were to convince 
us, in what estimation we ought to hold the world, when 

we see the largest shares of it dealt out to the most worth- 



less of the sons of Adam : — " They are full of, or abound 
in children, and leave the residue of their substance to 
their babes;" after living in plenty, perhaps to a good old 
age, they leave behind them a numerous and nourishing- 
posterity, who inherit their estates, and go on, as their 
fathers did before them, without piety to God, or charity 
to the poor. From these men and their ways, we have all 
reason to say with David, "Good Lord deliver us !" 

15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness ; I 
shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. 

Instead of setting our affections on things below, the 
prophet instructs us, after his example, to place all our 
happiness in the vision of God, and in that righteousness 
which leads to it ; since the hour is coming, when we shall 
awake, and arise, after the divine similitude ; when we 
shall be like God, for we shall see him as he is, and by 
seeing him shall be changed into the same image ; and then 
shall every desire be satisfied with the fulness of joy, with 
the exceeding abundance of unutterable glory. 



60 



A COMMENTARY [PS. XVIII. 



THIRD DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, as we are informed by the sacred history, Sam. xxii. L was 
composed and sung by David, in the day that the Lord had delivered 
him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. It 
contains, ver. 1 — 3. an address of thanks to Jehovah ; 4 — 6. a relation 
of sufferings undergone, and prayers made for assistance; 7 — 15. a 
magnificent description of the divine interposition in favour of the 
sufferer, and, 16 — 19. of the deliverance wrought for him, 20 — 24. in 
consideration of his righteousness, 25 — 28. according to the tenour of 
God's equitable proceedings ; 29 — 36. to Jehovah is ascribed the glory 
of the victory, which, 37 — 42. is represented as every way complete, by 
the destruction of all opponents and, 43 — 45. the submission of the 
heathen ; for these events, 46 — 50. God is blessed and praised. As the 
sublimity of the figures used in this Psalm, and the consent of ancient 
commentators, even Jewish as well as Christian, but above all, the 
citations made from it in the New Testament, do evince, that the 
kingdom of Messiah is here pointed at, under that of David, an appli- 
cation is therefore made of the whole, in the ensuing comment, to the 
sufferings, resurrection, righteousness, and conquests of Christ, to the 
destruction of the Jews, and conversion of the Gentiles. In a word, 
the Psalm, it is apprehended, should now be considered as a glorious 
epinicion, or triumphal hymn, to be sung by the Church, risen and 
victorious in Christ her Head. 

1. I will love thee, O Lord my strength. 

Let us suppose king Messiah, like his illustrious proge- 
nitor of old, seated in peace and triumph upon the throne 
designed and prepared for him. From thence let us 
imagine him taking a retrospect view of the sufferings he 
had undergone, the battles he had fought, and the victories 
he had gained. With this idea duly impressed upon our 
minds, we shall be able, in some measure, to conceive the 
force of the words, <<ta pmN — With all the yearnings of 
affection I will love thee, O Jehovah my strength, through 
my union with whom, I have finished my work, and am 
now exalted to praise thee, in the name of a redeemed 
world." Whenever we sing this Psalm, let us think we 
are singing it in conjunction with our Saviour, newly risen 
from the dead ; a consideration which surely will incite us 
to do it with becoming gratitude and devotion. 



DAY III. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



61 



2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deli- 
verer, my God, my strength in idiom I trust, my buckler, 
and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 

In other words, explanatory of the figures here made use 
of — Through Jehovah it is, that I have stood immovable 
amidst a sea of temptations and afflictions ; he has sup- 
ported me under my troubles, and delivered me out of them ; 
his protection has secured me, his power has broken and 
scattered mine enemies ; and by his mercy and truth am I 
now set up on high above them all. — How lovely these 
strains, in the mouth of the church militant ! How glorious 
will they be when sung by the church triumphant ! It is 
observable, that the words, "in whom I trust," or, as the 
original has it, "I will trust in him," are referred to, in 
the margin of our English Bible, as quoted from this verse 
by St. Paul, Heb. ii. 13. If it be so, the reader, by turn- 
ing to the place, may furnish himself with a demonstration, 
that in the 18th as well as in the 16th Psalm, David speaks 
in the person of Christ. 

3. / will, or, did call upon the Lord, who is worthy to he 
praised ; so shall I be, or, so was L saved from mine enemies. 

As the Psalm so evidently throughout is a thanksgiving 
for past deliverances, the verbs in this verse seem to require 
the same rendering which is given to them below, at ver. 6. 
Jehovah is to be " called upon," both in adversity and in 
prosperity; in the former with the voice of prayer, in the latter 
with that of praise. — " Is any afflicted?" saith St. James, ver. 
13. Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him " sing Psalms." 

4. The sorrows, or, cords, of death compassed me, and the 
floods of ungodly men, or, Belial, made me afraid. 5. The 
sorrows, or, cords of hell, or, the grave, compassed me about ; 
the snares of death prevented me. 

St. Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, says, 
when speaking of Christ — " Whom God hath raised up, 
having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible 
that he should be holden of it." — Acts ii. 24. Now the 
Hebrew word " 7in (as Dr. Hammond well observes on that 
place) signifies two things, a cord or band, and a pang, 
especially of women in travail ; hence the lxx meeting 
with the word, Ps. xviii. where it certainly signifies x oivla % 
cords, or bands, have yet rendered it ahwes, pangs; and from 
their example here St. Luke hath used ras coSivas Oavarov, 



62 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVIII. 



the pains or pangs of death ; when both the addition of the 
word Xvo-aq loosings, and Kpareta-Oai being holden fast, do 
show the sense is bands or cords." From the passage in 
the Acts, with this learned and judicious remark upon it, we 
obtain not only the true rendering of the phrase " mtO *hir\ 
cords, or bands of death," but also something more than an 
intimation that, in the verses of our Psalm now before us, 
David speaks of Christ, that "the cords of death," those 
" bands" due to our sins, "compassed him about, and the 
floods of Belial," the powers of darkness and ungodliness, 
like an overwhelming torrent breaking forth from the bot- 
tomless pit, "made him afraid," in the day of his agony, 
when the apprehensions of the bitter cup cast his soul into 
an unutterable amazement, and he beheld himself environed 
by those "snares," which had captivated and detained all 
the children of Adam. David, surrounded by Saul and his 
blood-thirsty attendants, was a lively emblem of the suffer- 
ing Jesus, and therefore the same description is applicable 
to both ; as the words of the second Psalm, in like manner, 
celebrate the inauguration of the son of Jesse, and that of 
the Son of God. 

6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto 
my God ; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry 
came before him, even into his ears. 

David was in distress ; David called upon Jehovah, the 
God of Israel, who dwelt between the Cherubims in the 
holy place ; and by him the prayer of David was heard. 
Much greater was the distress of Christ, who likewise, as 
St. Paul speaks, " in the days of his flesh offered up prayers 
and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him 
that was able to save him from death, and was heard." — 
Heb. v. 7. His voice ascended to the eternal temple, his 
powerful cry pierced the ears of the Father everlasting, 
and brought salvation from heaven at the time appointed. 
The church also is distressed upon earth ; she crieth, her 
cries are heard, and will be answered in the day of God. 

7. Then the earth shook and trembled ; the foundations 
also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 

At this verse the prophet begins to describe the manifes- 
tation of divine power in favour of the Righteous Sufferer. 
The imagery employed is borrowed from Mount Sinai, and 
those circumstances which attended the delivery of the law 



DAY III. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



63 



from thence. When a monarch is angry, and prepares for 
war, his whole kingdom is instantly in commotion. Uni- 
versal nature is here represented as feeling the effects of its 
sovereign's displeasure, and all the visible elements are 
disordered. The earth shakes from its foundations, and all 
its rocks and mountains tremble before the majesty of their 
-great Creator, when he ariseth in judgment. This was 
really the case at the resurrection of our Lord from the 
dead ; when, as the Evangelists inform us, " there was a 
great earthquake," and the grave owned its inability any 
longer to detain the blessed body, which had been com- 
mitted, for a season, to its custody. And what happened 
at the resurrection of Jesus, should remind us of what shall 
happen, when the earth shall tremble, and the dead shall 
be raised, at the last day. 

8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and Jire out 
of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it; or, fire out 
of his mouth devoured, with burning coals from before him. 

The farther effects of God's indignation are represented 
by those of fire, which is the most terrible of the created 
elements, burning and consuming all before it, scorching the 
ground and causing the mountains to smoke. Under this 
appearance God descended on the top of Sinai : thus he 
visited the cities of the plain ; and thus he is to come at the 
end of time. Whenever, therefore, he is described as show- 
ing forth his power and vengeance for the salvation of his 
chosen, and the discomfiture of his enemies, a " devouring 
fire " is the emblem made choice of, to convey proper ideas 
of such his manifestations. And from hence we may con- 
ceive the heat of his wrath against the adversaries of man's 
salvation, when by raising his Son Jesus from the dead, he 
blasted their schemes, and withered all their strength. 

9. He bowed the heavens also and came down : and dark- 
ness was under his feet. 10. And he rode upon a cherub, 
and did fly ; yea, he did fly on the wings of the wind. 11. 
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about 
him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 

Storms and tempests in the element of air are instru- 
ments of the divine displeasure, and are therefore selected 
as figures of it. When God descends from above, the clouds 
of heaven compose an awful and gloomy tabernacle, in the 
midst of which he is supposed to reside : the reins of 



64 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVI I r. 



whirlwinds are in his hand, and he directs their impetuous 
course through the world ; the whole artillery of the aerial 
regions is at his command, to be by him employed against 
his enemies, in one day of battle and war. 

12. At the brightness that was before him, his thick 
clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 13. The Lord 
also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his 
voice; hail stones and coals of fire. 14. Yea, he sent out 
his arrows, and scattered them ; and he shot out lightnings, 
and discomfited them. 

The discharge of the celestial artillery upon the adverse 
powers is here magnificently described. Terrible it was 
to them, as when lightnings and thunders, hail stones and 
balls of fire, making their way through the dark clouds 
which contain them, strike terror and dismay into the 
hearts of men. Such is the " voice," and such are the 
"arrows" of the Lord Almighty, wherewith he "discom- 
fiteth" all who oppose the execution of his counsels, and 
obstruct the salvation of his chosen. Every display and 
description of this sort, and indeed every thunder storm 
which we behold, should remind us of that exhibition of 
power and vengeance, which is hereafter to accompany the 
general resurrection. 

15. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the founda- 
tions of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, 
at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 

As the former part of the Psalmist's description was taken 
from the appearance on Mount Sinai, so this latter part seems 
evidently to allude to what passed at the Red Sea, when by 
the breath of God the waters were divided, the depths were 
discovered, and Israel was conducted in safety through them. 
By that event was prefigured the salvation of the church 
universal, through the death and resurrection of Christ, who 
descended into the lower parts of the earth, and from thence 
reascended to light and life. The 14th chapter of Exodus, 
which relates the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, is 
therefore appointed as one of the proper lessons on Easter 
day. And thus we obtain the ideas intended to be conveyed 
in this sublime but difficult verse, together with their appli- 
cation to the grand deliverance of the true David, in the 
day of God's power. Indeed it is not easy to accommodate 
to any part of the history of the son of Jesse these awful 



DAY III. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 65 

majestic, and stupendous images, which are made use of 
throughout this whole description of the divine manifesta - 
tion, from ver. 7. But however this be, most certainly 
every part of so solemn a scene of terrors forbids us to 
doubt but that a "greater than David is here;" since crea- 
tion scarce affords colours brighter and stronger than those 
here employed, wherewith to paint the appearance of Je- 
hovah, at the day of final redemption. 

16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of 
many, or, the great waters. 17. He delivered me from my 
strong enemy, and from them which hated me ; for they 
were too strong for me. 

For this purpose did God in so wonderful a manner dis- 
play his power and glory, that he might deliver the sufferer 
out of his troubles. This deliverance is first expressed 
metaphorically, by " drawing him out of the great waters," 
and then plainly, " he delivered me from my strong enemy," 
&c. The " great waters," in ver. 16. are the same with 
" the floods of the ungodly," in ver. 4. By these was Mes- 
siah, like David, oppressed and overwhelmed for a time ; 
but, like David, he arose at length superior to them all. The 
" strong enemy " was obliged to give way to a " stronger 
than he, who overcame him, and took from him his armour 
in which he trusted, and divided the spoil." — Luke xi. 22. 

18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity, but the 
Lord was my stay. 19. He brought me forth also into a 
large place : he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 

The divine mercy is celebrated again and again through 
this sacred hymn, in a variety of expressions. Innumerable 
foes " prevented," that is, surrounded, inclosed Christ on 
all sides, "in the day of his calamity," when the powers 
of earth and hell set themselves in array against him : but 
" Jehovah was his stay;" on him he reposed an unshaken 
confidence ; Jehovah therefore supported his steps, and led 
him on to victory and triumph ; from the narrow confines of 
the grave he translated him to unbounded empire, because 
he was the Son of his love, in whom he delighted. 

20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteous- 
ness ; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recom- 
pensed me. 21. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and 
have not wickedly departed from my God : 22. For all his 
judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes 

F 



66 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVIII. 



from me. 23. I was also upright before him: and I kept my- 
self from mine iniquity ; or, from iniquities. 24. Therefore 
hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, 
according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 

Commentators have been much perplexed to account for 
these unlimited claims to righteousness made by David, and 
that, long after the matter of Uriah, and toward the close 
of life. Certain indeed it is, that the expressions, con- 
sidered as David's, must be confined either to his stedfast 
adherence to the true worship in opposition to idolatry, or 
to his innocency with regard to some particular crimes 
falsely alleged against him by his adversaries. But if the 
Psalm be prophetical, and sung by the victorious Monarch 
in the person of King Messiah; then do the verses now 
before us no less exactly than beautifully delineate all that 
perfect righteousness wrought by the Redeemer, in conse- 
quence of which he obtained deliverance for himself and his 
people. For " His " righteousness' sake Jehovah was well 
pleased, and rewarded with everlasting felicity the unspotted 
purity of his works : " He " performed an unsinning obedi- 
ence to every part of the law, and swerved not from its line 
in a single instance : the rule was ever in his eye, and no 
temptation could induce him to deviate from its direction ; 
like the light, he passed through all things undefiled, and 
his garments were white as the lily: therefore a glorious 
kingdom was given unto him, forasmuch as in him the 
piercing eye of heaven could discover no blemish at all. 

25. With the mercif ul thou wilt shew thyself mercif ul, with 
an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright. 26. With 
the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure, and with the froward 
thou wilt shew thyself froward ; Heb. with the perverse 
thou wilt wrestle, or, strive. 

The reason is here assigned why God "recompensed 
Messiah according to the cleanness of his hands," namely, 
because he is just, in rendering to every one according to 
his works He who is " merciful " to his brethren, shall 
obtain the divine mercy ; he who is " upright " in his deal- 
ings with others, will have justice done him by the great 
Judge against his iniquitous oppressors ; he who is " pure" 
from deceit and hypocrisy in the service of his God, shall 
experience in himself a faithful and exact performance of 
the promises which God hath made to such ; but the man 



DAY. III. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



67 



that is " fro ward," perverse, and rebellious, must expect to 
grapple with an arm, which will either humble or destroy. 
— See Levit. xxvi. 3, 4, &c. 23, 24, &c. 1 Kings viii. 32. 
Prov. hi. 34. 

27. For thou wilt save the afflicted, or, lowly people, but 
wilt bring down high looks. 

" God resisteth the proud," saith an apostle, " and giveth 
grace to the humble." — James iv. 6. And, indeed, what 
is the covenant of grace, but a covenant to humble pride 
and to exalt humility ; what was it but the humility of 
Christ, that subdued the pride of Satan ; and on what does 
the salvation of every man depend, but on the issue of the 
contest between these two principles in his heart ? 

28. For thou wilt, or, dost light my candle, or, lamp, the 
Lord my God will, or, does enlighten my darkness. 

An instance of God's favour toward the lowly and afflicted 
was the salvation vouchsafed to the suffering Jesus, who, 
like David, after much tribulation and persecution, under 
which he sunk for a time, even so low as to the grave itself, 
was exalted to glory and honour. This change of condition 
is set forth by that of a " lamp," from a state of extinction 
to one of illumination, darkness being a well known emblem 
of sorrow and death, as light is the established symbol of 
life and joy. Remarkable are the words of the Chaldee 
Paraphrast upon this verse, cited by Dr. Hammond — " Be- 
cause thou shalt enlighten the lamp of Israel, which is put 
out in the captivity, for thou art the Author of the light of 
Israel : the Lord my God shall lead me out of darkness 
into light, and shall make me see the consolation of the 
age which shall come to the just." 

29. For by thee I have run through, or, broken, a troop : 
and by my God have I leaped over a wall. 

Through the power of his divinity, the Captain of our 
salvation vanquished the host of darkness, and escaped from 
the sepulchre, notwithstanding all their precautions to con- 
fine him there. Vain is every effort, by whomsoever it is 
made, against the counsels of Omnipotence. And let us 
reflect, for our comfort, that they who could not prevent 
the resurrection of Christ, cannot detain the soul of a 
Christian in sin, or his body in the grave. 

30. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord 
is tried : he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 

f 2 



G8 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVIII. 



The "way" of God is the course of his proceedings with 
men, and its " perfection " consists in the equity of those 
proceedings : the promises made in " the word of Jehovah " 
to his servants are "tried " in times of affliction and perse- 
cution, as gold in the fire, and found pure from any dross 
of deceit, or fallibility: he is ever a "shield," to protect 
" those who trust in him," during their stay here, until he 
becomes their "exceeding great reward" hereafter. All 
this he has been to the Head, in order that he may be all 
this to the members of the church. 

31. For who is God, save the Lord? Or who is a rock, 
save our God ? 

"Jehovah" alone is the "God," or covenanted Saviour of 
hispeople; heistheonly "rock," on which they may securely 
build their hope of heaven. Vain were the idols of the ancient 
world, Baal and Jupiter ; as vain are those of modern times 
— pleasure, honour, and profit. They cannot bestow con- 
tent, or make their votaries happy below ; much less can 
they deliver from death, or open the everlasting doors above. 

32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh 
my way perfect. 

In this and the following verses are enumerated the gifts 
of God to the spiritual warrior, whereby he is armed and 
prepared for the battle, after the example of his victorious 
leader. God invests him with "strength," or, what the 
apostle calls "the spirit of might in the inner man," as 
the loins of a soldier are braced by the military girdle ; 
whence that of St. Paul, " having your loins girt about 
with truth." He removes every thing that may impede 
his progress, until he has accomplished his warfare, and 
finished his course in righteousness, which seems to be 
what is meant by " making his way perfect." 

33. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me 
upon my high places. 

He endueth the affections, which are the feet of the soul, 
with vigour and agility, to run the way of his command- 
ments, to surmount every obstacle, and, with an activity 
like that of the swift hart, or the bounding roe, to conquer 
the steep ascent of the everlasting hills, and gain the sum- 
mit of the heavenly mountain. St. Paul tells us how the 
feet must be shod, for this purpose, namely, " with the 
preparation of the gospel of peace." 



DAY III. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



69 



34. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel 
is broken by mine arms. 

He communicates a wisdom and a power which nothing 
can withstand, instructing and enabling the combatant to 
overcome in the conflict, to seize and render useless the 
weapons of the adversary. St. Paul puts into the Christian 
warrior's hand " the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word 
of God." 

35. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation : and 
thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness, or, 
th y afflictions, hath made me great. 

The salvation of God is a defence against all temptations, 
to such as believe in it ; whence St. Paul styles this piece 
of armour, "the shield of faith, wherewith," says he, "ye 
may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil." 
The " right hand " of God must support and sustain us at 
all times ; and the wholesome discipline of the Christian 
camp, the chastisements and corrections of our heavenly 
Father, must train us up to true greatness, and prepare us 
for the kingdom of heaven. The soldiers, like their great 
Leader, must be " made perfect through sufferings." 

36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that, or, and, 
my feet did not slip. 

In other words, God hath opened a free course for him 
to victory and triumph, and had also endued him with 
strength to run that course ; thus removing the two mis- 
chievous effects of sin, which not only precluded the way 
to heaven, but deprived us of the ability to travel in it. 

37. / have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them ; 
neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 38. / 
have wounded them that they were not able to rise : they 
are fallen under my feet. 

If we suppose David in his conquests to have prefigured 
victorious Messiah, then have we, in these and the subse- 
quent verses, a sublime description of that vengeance, which 
Jesus, after his resurrection and ascension, inflicted on his 
hardened and impenitent enemies. His wrath " pursued " 
and " overtook " them in the day of visitation ; nor did it 
return till, like a devouring fire, it had " consumed " the 
prey. The Jews were cast down, "not able to rise," or lift 
up themselves as a people, being crushed under the feet of 
the once despised and insulted Nazarene. Let us reflect 



70 



A COMMENTARY 



|_PS. XVI I I. 



upon the impotence of our spiritual adversaries, when 
Jesus declares war against them ; and let us beseech him 
to conquer them in us, as he has conquered them for us. 

39. For thou hast girded me with strength unto battle ; 
thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. 
40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies ; 
that I might destroy them that hate me. 

With the almighty power of the Godhead was Jesus in- 
vested, by which all enemies were subdued unto him ; the 
stiff " necks " of his crucifiers were bowed under him, and 
utter destruction became the portion of those who hated 
him, and had " sent after him, saying, We will not have 
this man to reign over us." So gird us, thy soldiers and 
servants, O Lord Jesu, to the battle, and subdue under us, 
by the power of thy grace, those that rise up against us, 
whether they be our own corrupt desires, or the malicious 
spirits of darkness ; so give us, like another Joshua, the 
" necks " of these our enemies, that we may destroy them 
that hate, and would destroy us. 

41. They cried, but there was none to save them ; even to 
the Lord, but he answered them not. 

Never was there a more just and lively portrait of the 
lamentable and desperate state of the Jews, when their 
calamities came upon them. — " They cried, but — none to 
save! " They had rejected him who alone could save, and 
who was now about to destroy them. They cried to Je~ 
hovah, and thought themselves still his favourite nation ; 
but Jehovah and Jesus were one ; so that after putting the 
latter from them, they could not retain the former on their 
side. " He answered them not !" It was too late to 
knock when the door was shut ; too late to cry for mercy 
,vhen it was the time of justice. Let us knock while yet 
he door may be opened ; and not begin to pray when 
orayer shall be no longer heard. 

42. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the 
wind ; I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. 

The nature of that judgment which was executed upon 
the Jews, cannot be more accurately delineated, than by 
the two images here made use of. They were broken in 
pieces, and dispersed over the face of the earth by the 
breath of God's displeasure, like " dust before the wind ; 
and as dirt in the streets, they were cast out," to be trodden 



DAY III. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



71 



under foot by all nations. O that every nation would so 
consider, as to avoid their crime and their punishment ! 

43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the 
people, and thou hast made me the head of the heathen : a 
people whom / have not known shall serve me. 

If David was delivered from the strivings of the people ; 
if the adjacent heathen nations were added to his kingdom, 
and a " people, whom he had not known, served him how 
much more was this the case of the Son of David, when he 
was " delivered," by his resurrection, from the power of 
all his enemies ; when he was made " head of the heathen," 
of whom, after their conversion, his church was, and, to 
this day, is composed ; and when, instead of the rejected 
Jews, a people, to whom before he had not been known, 
became his servants ! 

44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me ; the 
strangers shall submit themselves unto me. 45. The strangers 
shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places. 

"As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me ;" hereby 
is intimated the readiness with which the Gentiles should 
flow into the church, upon the preaching of the gospel to 
them, when the Jews, after having so long and so often 
heard it, had nailed Christ to the cross, and driven the 
apostles out from among them. — " The strangers shall sub- 
mit themselves unto me ;" the nations who were " aliens 
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the cove- 
nants of promise," either cordially submitted to the sceptre 
of Christ, or at least dissembled their hostility, and yielded a 
feigned submission (for so the word WO. sometimes signifies) ; 
" the strangers shall fade away;" that is, such of them as 
set themselves against me, shall find their strength blasted 
and withered as a leaf in autumn, and shall fall at the sound 
of my name and my victories ; " they shall be afraid out of 
their close places ;" or rather, " they shall come trembling 
from their strong holds," as places not able to protect them, 
and, therefore, they will sue for peace. Such seems to be 
the import of these two verses, which, therefore, denote the 
conquest of Messiah to have been every way complete. And 
accordingly, in the remaining part of the Psalm, the church, 
through Christ her Head, blesseth Jehovah for the same. 

46. The Lord Uveth, and blessed be my rock ; and let the 
God of my salvation be exalted. 47. It is God that avengeth 



72 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XVIII. 



me, and subdueth the people under me. 48. He delivereth me 
from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise 
up against me : thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 

In other words — " And now, the Lord God omnipotent 
liveth and reigneth, for ever blessed and exalted, as the 
God of salvation : by him I am avenged of those who per- 
secuted me, and am advanced to empire : my enemies are 
fallen, and my throne is established." Thus we learn to 
trust in Jehovah without fear, when our enemies are victo- 
rious, and to glorify him without reserve, when we are so. 

49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among 
the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. 

Remarkable is the manner in which St. Paul cites this 
verse, Rom. xv. 9. The context runs thus : — " Now I say, 
that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the 
truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers : 
and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy ; as it 
is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the 
Gentiles, and sing unto thy name;" This verse is by the apos- 
tle produced as a proof, that the Gentiles were one day to 
glorify God, for the mercy vouchsafed them by Jesus Christ. 
But according to the letter of the passage, king David only 
says, that he will "give thanks unto God among the hea- 
then," on account of his own deliverance, and exaltation to 
the throne of Israel ; for upon that occasion we know that he 
composed and sung the Psalm. This citation brought by 
St. Paul cannot therefore be to the purpose for which it is 
brought, unless the Psalm have a double sense ; unless God 
be glorified in it for the victory and enthronization of Christ, 
as well as for those of David; and this cannot be, unless the 
same words which literally celebrate the one, do likewise 
prophetically celebrate the other; unless David be a figure 
of Christ, and speak in his person, and in that of his body 
the church. While this Psalm is used, as a Christian hymn, 
in the Gentile Christian church, David still continues, as he 
foresaw he should do, " to give thanks unto Jehovah, to 
glorify God among the Gentiles," for the mercies of re- 
demption, and to sing praises unto his name."* 

* " This verse is applied in Rom. xv. 2. to the calling of the Gentiles 
unto the faith of Christ, and praise unto God therefore, By which we are 
taught, that of Christ and his kingdom this Psalm is chie/iy intended." — 
Ainsworth. 



DAY IV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



73 



50. Great deliverance giveth he to his King ; and sheweth 
mercy to his Anointed, to David and to his seed for evermore. 

" Great deliverance giveth he unto his King ;" to king 
David, in saving him from Saul and his other temporal 
enemies, and seating him on the earthly throne of Israel ; 
to King Messiah, in rescuing him from death and the 
grave, and exalting him to an heavenly throne, as Head of 
the Church ; " and sheweth mercy to his Anointed to 
him who was anointed outwardly, and in a figure, with oil ; 
and to him who was anointed inwardly, and in truth, with 
the Holy Ghost and with power : " to David and to his 
seed for evermore ;" to the literal David, and to his royal 
progeny, of whom, according to the flesh, Christ came ; 
and to Christ himself, the spiritual David, the beloved of 
God, with all those who through faith become his children, 
the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life. 



FOURTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

In the former part of this beautiful Psalm, ver. 1 — 6. the heavens are re- 
presented as the instructors of mankind ; the subject, the universality, 
and the manner of their instructions are pointed out : the glory, beauty, 
and powerful effects of the solar light are described. The latter part of 
the Psalm, 7 — 14. contains an encomium on the word of God, in which 
its properties are enumerated ; and a prayer of the Psalmist for par- 
doning and restraining grace, and for the acceptance of these and all 
other his devotions and meditations. From a citation which St. Paul 
hath made of the 4th verse, it appears, that in the exposition, we are to 
raise our thoughts from things natural to things spiritual ; we are to 
contemplate the publication of the gospel, the manifestation of the Light 
of Life, the Sun of Righteousness, and the efficacy of evangelical doc- 
trine. In this view the ancients have considered the Psalm, and the 
church hath therefore appointed it to be read on Christmas day. 

1. The heavens declare the glory of God: and the fir- 
mament sheweth his handy work. 

Under the name of " heaven," or, " the heavens," is com- 
prehended that fluid mixture of light and air which is every 
where diffused about us : and to the influences of which, are 



74 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XIX. 



owing all the beauty and fruitfulness of the earth, all vege- 
table and animal life, and the various kinds of motion 
throughout the system of nature. By their manifold and 
beneficial operations, therefore, as well as by their beauty 
and magnificence, "the heavens declare the glory of God ;" 
they point Him out to us, who, in scripture language, is 
styled " the glory of God ;" by whom themselves and all 
other things were made, and are upholden ; and who is the 
Author of every grace and blessing, to the sons of men; "the 
firmament," or expansion of the celestial elements, wherever 
it extends, " showeth his handy work," not only as the 
Creator, but likewise as the Redeemer of the world. And 
thus do the heavens afford inexhaustible matter, for contem- 
plation and devotion, to the philosopher, and to the Christian. 

2. Day unto day utter eth speech, and night unto night 
sheweth knowledge. 

The labours of these our instructors know no intermission, 
but they continue incessantly to lecture us in the science of 
divine wisdom. There is one glory of the sun, which shines 
forth by day : and there are other glories of the moon and of 
the stars, which become visible by night. And because day 
and night interchangeably divide the world between them, 
they are therefore represented as transmitting in succession, 
each to other, the task enjoined them, like the two parts 
of a choir, chanting forth alternately the praises of God. 
How does inanimate nature reproach us with our indolence 
and indevotion ! 

3. There is no speech nor language where their voice is 
not heard. 

Our translators, by the words inserted in a different cha- 
racter have declared their sense of this passage to be, that 
there is no nation or language, whither the instruction dif- 
fused by the heavens doth not reach. But as the same 
thought is so fully expressed in the next verse, " Their sound 
is gone out," &c. it seems most advisable to adhere to the 
original, which runs literally thus : — " No speech, no words, 
their voice is not heard ;" that is, although the heavens are 
thus appointed to teach, yet it is not by articulate sounds that 
they do it : they are not endowed, like man, with the faculty 
of speech ; but they address themselves to the mind of the 
intelligent beholder in another way, and that, when under- 
stood, a no less forcible way, the way of picture, or repre- 



DAY IV. -M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



sentation. So manifold is the wisdom of God ; so various 
are the ways by which he communicates it to men. 

4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their 
wards to the end of the world. 

The instruction which the heavens disperse abroad is uni- 
versal as their substance, which extends itself in "lines," or 
rays, "over all the earth;" by this means their "words," or 
rather, their "significant* actions " and operations, are every 
where present "even to the ends of the w T orld;" and thereby 
they preach to all nations the power and wisdom, the mercy 
and loving-kindness of the Lord. The apostles' commission 
was the same with that of the heavens ; and St. Paul, Rom. 
x. 18. has applied the natural images of this verse to the 
manifestation of the Light of Life, by the sermons of those 
who were sent forth for that purpose. He is speaking of 
those Jews who had not obeyed the gospel. — "But I say," 
argues he, " have they not heard ? Yes, verily, their sound 
went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the 
world." As if he had said, They must have heard, since the 
apostles were commanded not to turn unto the Gentiles, till 
they had published their glad tidings throughout Judea ; 
but the knowledge of him is now become universal, and all 
flesh has seen the glory of the Lord ; the Light divine, like 
that in the heavens, has visited the whole world, as the 
prophet David foretold in the 19th Psalm. The apostle 
cannot be supposed to have made use of this scripture in a 
sense of accommodation only, because he cites it among; 
other texts which he produces merely as prophecies. And if 
such be its meaning, if the heavens thus declare the glory 
of God, and this is the great lesson they are incessantly 
teaching; what other language do they speak, than that their 
Lord is the representative of ours, the bright ruler in the 
natural world of the more glorious one in the spiritual, their 
sun of the " Sun of Righteousness?" But of this the fol- 
lowing verses will lead us to speak more particularly. 

5. In them hath lie set a tabernacle for the sun, which is 
as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as 
a strong man to run a race. 

In the centre of the heavens there is a tent pitched by the 

* nn'/O — The verb bbv (whence >Vd words) is used for expressing the 
meaning by signs. It has this sense, Prov. vi. 13. lVjna, bh^n speaking 
with his foot. 



7G 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XIX. 



Creator for the residence of that most glorious of inanimate 
substances, the solar light ; from thence it issues, with the 
beauty of a bridegroom, and the vigour of a champion, to 
run its course, and perform its operations. A tabernacle, in 
like manner, was prepared for him, who saith of himself, 
" I am the light of the world." — John viii. 12. And as 
the light of the sun goes out in the morning with inconceiv- 
able activity, new and youthful itself, and communicating 
life and gaiety to all things around it, like a bridegroom, in 
the marriage garment, from his chamber to his nuptials ; so, 
at his incarnation, did the Light Divine, the promised bride- 
groom, visit his church, being clad himself, and clothing her 
with that robe of righteousness which is styled, in holy 
scripture, the marriage garment ; and the joy which his 
presence administered, was, like the benefits of it, universal. 
And as the material light is always ready to run its heavenly 
race, daily issuing forth with renewed vigour, like an invin- 
cible champion still fresh to labour ; so likewise did he 
rejoice to run his glorious race ; he excelled in strength, 
and. his works were great and marvellous ; he triumphed 
over the powers of darkness ; he shed abroad, on all sides, 
his bright beams upon his church ; he became her deliverer, 
her protector, and support ; and showed himself able, in 
every respect, to accomplish for her the mighty task he had 
undertaken. What a marvellous instrument of the Most 
High is the sun, at his rising, considered in this view ! 

6. His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his 
circuit unto the ends of it : and there is nothing hid from 
the heat thereof 

The light diffused on every side from its fountain, extend- 
eth to the extremities of heaven, filling the whole circle of 
creation, penetrating even to the inmost substances of grosser 
bodies, and acting in and through all other matter, as the 
general cause of life and motion. Thus unbounded and 
efficacious was the influence of the Sun of Righteousness, 
when he sent out his word, enlightening and enlivening all 
things by the glory of his grace. His celestial rays, like 
those of the sun, took their circuit round the earth ; they 
went forth out of Judea into all parts of the habitable world, 
and there was no corner of it so remote as to be without 
the reach of their penetrating and healing power. " The 
Lord gave the word, great was the company of those that 



DAY IV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



77 



published it." — Ps. lxviii. 11. It was the express declara- 
tion of our Saviour himself, " This gospel of the kingdom 
shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all 
nations, and then shall the end come." — Matt. xxiv. 14. 
And St. Paul affirms, that the gospel was "come unto all 
the world," and had been " preached to every creature 
under heaven." — Col. i. 6. 23. The prophet, therefore, 
having thus foretold the mission of the apostles, and the 
success of their ministry, proceeds in the next place to 
describe their "doctrine;" so that what follows is a fine 
encomium upon the gospel, written with all the simplicity 
peculiar to the sacred language, and in a strain far sur- 
passing the utmost efforts of human eloquence. 

7. The law, or, doctrine of the Lord is perfect, converting, 
or, restoring the soul : the testimony of the Lord is sure, 
making wise the simple. 

The word of God, in this and the following verses, has 
several most valuable properties ascribed to it. It is per- 
fectly well adapted, in every particular, to "convert," to 
restore, to bring back "the soul" from error to truth, from 
sin to righteousness, from sickness to health, from death to 
life : as it convinces of sin, it holds forth a Saviour, it is a 
means of grace, and a rule of conduct. It giveth wisdom, 
and by wisdom stability, to those who might otherwise, 
through ignorance and weakness, be easily deceived, and 
led astray; " it is sure," certain and infallible in its direc- 
tions and informations, "making wise the simple." 

8. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: 
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 

To those who study the righteousness of God therein 
communicated to man, it becometh a never-failing source of 
consolation and holy joy ; the conscience of the reader is 
cleansed by the blood, and rectified by the Spirit of Christ ; 
and such a conscience is a continual feast : " the statutes of 
the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart." The divine word 
resembleth the light in its brightness and purity, by which 
are unveiled and manifested to the eyes of the understand- 
ing, the wonderful works and dispensations of God, the 
state of man, the nature of sin, the way of salvation, the 
joys of heaven, and the pains of hell : " the commandment 
of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." 



78 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XIX. 



9. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever ; the 
judgments of the Lord&re true and righteous altogether. 

" The fear of the Lord," which restrains from transgress- 
ing that law by which it is bred in the heart, is in its effect 
a preservative of mental purity, and in the duration both 
of its effect and its reward eternal ; it "endureth for ever." 
The judgments of "the Lord are" not, like those of men, 
oftentimes wrong and unjust, but all his determinations in 
his word are "truth and righteousness" united in perfection. 

10. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much 
fine gold : sweeter also than honey, and the honey-comb. 

What wonder is it that this converting, instructing, 
exhilarating, enlightening, eternal, true, and righteous 
word should be declared preferable to the riches of eastern 
kings, and sweeter to the soul of the pious believer, than 
the sweetest thing we know of is to the bodily taste? 
How ready we are to acknowledge all this ! Yet, the next 
hour, perhaps, we part with the true riches to obtain the 
earthly mammon, and barter away the joys of the Spirit 
for the gratifications of sense ! Lord, give us affections 
toward thy word in some measure proportioned to its ex- 
cellence ; for we can never love too much what we can 
never admire enough. 

11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in 
keeping them there is great reward. 

The Psalmist here bears his own testimony to the cha- 
racter above given of the divine word ; as if he had said, 
The several parts of this perfect law, hereafter to be pub- 
lished to the whole race of mankind, have been all along 
my great instructors, and the only source of all the know- 
ledge to which thy servant hath attained ; and I am fully 
assured, that the blessed fruit of them, when they are duly 
observed, and have their proper effect, is exceeding glorious, 
even eternal life. 

12. Who can understand his errors •? Cleanse thou me 
from secret faults. 

The perfection and spirituality of God's law render it 
almost impossible for a fallen son of Adam even to know all 
the innumerable instances of his transgressing it. Add to 
which, that false principles and inveterate prejudices make 
us regard many things as innocent, and some things as 



DAY IV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



79 



laudable, which in the eye of heaven are far otherwise. 
Self-examination is a duty which few practise as they 
ought to do : and he who practises it best, will always have 
reason to conclude his particular confessions with this 
general petition, " Cleanse thou me from secret faults!" 

13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins, 
let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, 
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 

In the preceding verse, David had implored God's pardon- 
ing grace, to cleanse him from the secret sins of ignorance 
and infirmity; in this he begs his restraining grace, to 
keep him back from presumptuous sins, or sins committed 
knowingly, deliberately, and with an high hand, against 
the convictions and the remonstrances of conscience: he 
prays that such sins might not "have dominion over him," 
or that he might not, by contracting evil habits, become 
the slave of an imperious lust, which might at length lead 
him on to "the great transgression," to rebellion and final 
apostasy from God ; for he who would be innocent from 
the "great transgression," must beware of indulging him- 
self in any. 

14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of 
my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, 
and my Redeemer. 

The prophet, having before solicited the justification of 
his person through grace, concludes with a petition for 
the acceptance of all his offerings, and more especially of 
these his meditations, at the hands of that blessed One, 
whom he addresses as the Author of all good, and the 
deliverer from all evil; as the "strength," and the "Re- 
deemer " of his people.* 

* If the reader shall have received any pleasure from perusing the com- 
ment on the foregoing Psalm, especially the first part of it, he is to be 
informed that he stands indebted, on that account, to a Discourse entitled, 
" Christ the Light of the World," published in the year 1750, by the late 
Reverend Mr. George Watson, for many years the dear companion and 
kind director of the author's studies ; in attending to whose agreeable and 
instructive conversation, he has often passed whole days together, and 
shall always have reason to number them among the best spent days of 
his life ; whose death he can never think of without lamenting it afresh ; 
and to whose memory he embraces, with pleasure, this opportunity to pay 
the tribute of a grateful heart. 



80 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XX. 



PSALM XX. 

ARGUMENT. 

1 — 4. The church prayeth for the prosperity of King Messiah, going forth 
to the battle, as her champion and deliverer ; for his acceptance by 
the Father, and for the accomplishment of his will. 5 — 7. She de- 
clareth her full assurance of faith, and her resolution to trust in him 
alone, and not in the arm of flesh. 8. She foreseeth the fall of her 
enemies, and her own exaltation ; and, 9. concludeth with a prayer to 
the God of her strength. 

1. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble ; the name 
of the God of Jacob defend thee. 

This may be considered as the address of a people to 
their king when he goeth forth to the battle against their 
enemies. But it is to be regarded, in a more general and 
useful view, as the address of the church to Christ her King, 
in "the day of his trouble." She prayeth for the happy 
accomplishment of his warfare, " through the name of the 
God of Jacob," dwelling in him. And this warfare, though 
accomplished in his own person, still remaineth to be ac- 
complished in his people, until the last enemy shall be des- 
troyed, and death shall be swallowed up in victory. It is 
still "the day of trouble;" still "the name of the God of 
Jacob," must "defend" the body of Christ. 

2. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen 
thee out of Sion. 

All help and strength, in the time of danger and sorrow, 
must be obtained by prayer from the heavenly Sion which 
is in the Jerusalem above, and from the eternal temple 
thereon constructed. By this " help and strength," the 
Captain of our salvation conquered; and the church, with 
all her sons, must conquer through the same. 

3. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt 
sacrifice. 

As Christ, in the days of his flesh, offered up not only 
prayers and tears, but, at length, his own most precious 
body and blood, the church here prays that the great pro- 
pitiatory sacrifice may be had in everlasting remembrance 
before God, and the merits of it be continually pleaded in ar- 
rest of judgment, and accepted for herself and her children. 

4. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil 
all thy counsel. 



DAY IV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



81 



The desire of Christ's heart, and the counsel of his will 
was, that he might die for our sins, and rise again for our 
justification; that the gospel might be preached, the Gen- 
tiles called, the Jews converted, the dead raised, and the 
elect glorified. That this his "desire might be granted," 
and this his "counsel be fulfilled," the church of old 
prayed ; and the church now prayeth for the accomplish- 
ment of that which yet remains to be accomplished. 

5. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of 
our God we will set up our banners : the Lord fulfil all 
thy petitions. 

The joy of the church is in the salvation of Christ ; and 
the joy of every individual is in the application of that sal- 
vation to himself, and all around him. In the name of 
Jesus, and under the banner of the cross, the armies of the 
faithful undertake and carry on all their enterprises against 
the world, the flesh, and the devil. The prospect of the 
glorious fruits of Christ's victory caused the church to re- 
double her prayers, that he might be heard in his "petitions" 
for mankind, and might see of the travail of his soul. 

6. Now know I, that the Lord saveth his anointed : he 
will hear him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength 
of his right hand. 

The assurance of the ancient church was built on the 
prophecies going before concerning the salvation of Mes- 
siah. Our assurance is strengthened by the actual per- 
formance of so great a part of the counsel of God. We know 
that the Lord has " saved his Anointed ;" that his Anointed 
saveth all, who believe and obey him, from their sins ; and 
therefore we doubt not, but that, by " the strength of his 
right hand," or by the excellency of his power, he will 
finally save them from death and rescue them from the grave. 

7. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses ; but we 
will remember the name of the Lord our God. 

This should be the resolution of every Christian king 
and people, in the day of battle. And, in the spiritual 
war, in which we are all engaged, the first and necessary 
step to victory is, to renounce all confidence in the wisdom 
and strength of nature and the world ; and to remember, 
that we can do nothing, but in the name, by the merits, 
through the power, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, our 
Lord, and our God. 

G 



82 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXI. 



8. They are brought down and fallen, but we are risen 
and stand upright. 

This was eminently the case, when the pride and power 
of Jewish infidelity and Pagan idolatry fell before the vic- 
torious sermons and lives of the humble believers in Jesus : 
this is the case in every conflict with our spiritual enemies, 
when we engage them in the name, the spirit, and the 
power of Christ : and this will be the case at the last day, 
when the world, with the prince of it, shall be " brought 
down, and fall ; but we, risen" from the dead, through the 
resurrection of our Lord, shall " stand upright in the courts 
of heaven, and sing the praises of him who getteth us all 
our victories. 

9. Save, Lord : let the King hear us when we call. 
Thus the Psalm concludes, as it began, with a general 

"Hosanna" of the church, praying for the prosperity and 
success of the then future Messiah, and for her own salva- 
tion in him, her king ; who, from the grave and gate of 
death, was for this end to be exalted to the right hand of 
the Majesty in the heavens, that he might hear, and pre- 
sent to his Father the prayers of his people, " when they 
call upon him." 



PSALM XXI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is one of the proper Psalms which the church hath appointed to be 
used on Ascension day, and wherein, 1 — 6. she celebrates the victory 
of her Redeemer, and the glory consequent thereupon ; she prophesies, 
7. the stability of his kingdom, and, 8 — 12. the destruction of the 
enemies thereof ; concluding with a prayer for his final triumph and 
exaltation ; the celebration of which, with everlasting hallelujahs, will 
be her employment in heaven, 

1. The King shall joy in thy strength, O Lord, and in 
thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice ! 

The joy of Christ himself, after his victory, is in the 
strength and salvation of Jehovah, manifested thereby. 
Such ought to be the joy of his disciples, when God hath 
enabled them to vanquish their enemies, either temporal or 
spiritual ; in which latter case, as they are called kings, and 
said to reign with Christ, so they are in duty bound to 



DAY IV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



83 



acknowledge that they reign by him : — " He that glorieth," 
whatever the occasion be, " let him glory in the Lord." 

2. Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not 
withholden the request of his lips. 

The desire of Christ's heart was his own resurrection and 
exaltation, for the benefit of his church ; and now he ever 
liveth to make " request with his lips," for the conversion 
and salvation of sinners. Such desires will be granted, and 
such requests will never be withholden. Let us be careful 
to frame ours after that all-perfect model of divine love. 

3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: 
thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. 

The Son of God could not be more ready to ask for the 
blessings of the divine goodness, than the Father was to 
give them ; and his disposition is the same toward all his 
adopted sons. Christ, as king and priest, weareth a crown 
of glory, represented by the purest and most resplendent of 
metals — gold. He is pleased to esteem his saints, excelling 
in different virtues, as the rubies, the sapphires, and 
the emeralds, which grace and adorn that crown. Who 
would not be ambitious of obtaining a place therein ! 

4. lie asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even 
length of days for ever and ever. 

The life, asked by Christ, was not a continuance in this 
valley of tears, but that new and eternal life consequent 
upon a resurrection from the dead. For thus his petition 
was granted in " length of days for ever and ever." He 
died no more ; death had no "more dominion over him." 
Whose disciples then are they, that wish only to have their 
days prolonged upon the earth, forgetful of the life which 
is hid with Christ in God ? 

5. His glory is great in thy salvation, honour and majesty 
hast thou laid upon him. 

What tongue can express the " glory, honour, and 
majesty," with which the King of Righteousness and peace 
was invested, upon his ascension ; when he took possession 
of the throne prepared for him, and received the homage 
of heaven and earth ! The sacred imagery in St. John's 
Revelation sets them before our eyes in such a manner, 
that no one can read the description, whose heart will not 
burn within him, through impatient desire to behold them. 
— See Rev. iv. vii. xix. xxi. xxii. 

g 2 



84 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXI. 



6. For thou hast made him most blessed, Heb. set him to 
be blessings * for ever : thou hast made him exceeding glad 
with thy countenance. 

Christ, by his death and passion, having removed the 
curse, became the fountain of all blessings to his people, 
in time and eternity ; being himself the blessing promised 
to Abraham, and the object of the patriarchal benedictions. 
The joy communicated to the humanity of our Lord, from 
the divine nature, shall be shed abroad on all his saints, 
when admitted to view the "countenance of God" in the 
face of Jesus Christ. Then they shall enter into • • the joy 
of their Lord." 

7. For the King trusteth in the Lord, and through the 
mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. 

The throne of Christ, as man, was erected and established 
by his trust and confidence in the Father, during his humi- 
liation and passion. Faith in God, therefore, is the way 
that leadeth to honour and stability. u Look at the gene- 
rations of old, and see ; did ever any trust in the Lord, and 
was confounded ? — Eccl. ii. 10. 

8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies ; thy right 
hand shall find out those that hate thee. 

The same right hand of Jehovah is glorious in power to 
save his people, and to destroy his enemies ; to convert the 
Gentiles, and to crush the Jews; to exalt the faithful to 
heaven, and cast down the unbelieving to hell : neither is 
there any treason against the King of heaven, which shall 
not be dragged forth into the light, made manifest, judged, 
and condemned. Let thy hand, O Lord, be upon our sins, 
to destroy them ; but upon us, to save us. 

9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of 
thine anger ; the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, 
and the fire shall devour them. 

"The time of God's anger" often begins in this life, 
especially toward the close of it, when an evil conscience 
within, like flame confined in an " oven," torments the 
sinner, as a prelude to punishments future and unknown, 
which the " wrath " of God is preparing to inflict on the 
incorrigible and impenitent. Let us so meditate on this 
sad scene, that we may have no part in it. 

* " Nam posuisti eum in secula benedicendum." — Houbigant. Compare 
Gen. xii. 2. Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations. 



DAY IV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



85 



10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and 
their seed from among the children of men. 

A day is coming, when all the "fruits" of sin, brought 
forth by sinners in their words, their writings, and their 
actions, shall be " destroyed ; " yea, the tree itself, which 
had produced them, shall be rooted up, and cast into the 
fire. The "seed" and posterity of the wicked, if they 
continue in the way of their forefathers, will be punished 
like them. Let parents consider, that upon their principles 
and practices may depend the salvation or destruction of 
multitudes after them. The case of the Jews, daily before 
their eyes, should make them tremble. 

11. For they intended evil against thee : they imagined a 
mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. 

Vengeance came upon the Jews to the uttermost, because 
of their intended malice against Christ. They, like Joseph s 
brethren, " thought evil against him ; " but " they were not 
able to perform it ; for God meant it unto good, to bring to 
pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." — Gen. 
i. 20. So let all the designs of ungodly men against thy 
church, O Lord, through thy power of bringing good out of 
evil, turn to her advantage ; and let all men be convinced, 
that no weapon formed against thee can prosper. 

12. Therefore thou shalt make them turn their back, or 
thou shalt set them as a butt, when thou shalt make ready 
thine arrows upon thy strings, against the face of them. 

The judgments of God are called his " arrows," being 
sharp, swift, sure, and deadly. What a dreadful situation, 
to be set as a mark, and " butt," at which these arrows are 
directed ! View Jerusalem encompassed by the Roman 
armies without, and torn to pieces by the animosity of 
desperate and bloody factions within. No farther commen- 
tary is requisite upon this verse. " Tremble, and repent," 
is the inference to be drawn by every Christian community 
under heaven, in which appear the symptomsof degeneracy 
and apostasy. 

13. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength; so 
will we sing, and praise thy power. 

The church concludes with a joyful acclamation to her 
Redeemer, wishing for his " exaltation in his own strength," 
as God, who was to be abased in much weakness, as man. 
We still continue to wish and pray for his exaltation over 



86 A COMMENTARY [PS. XXII. 

sin, in the hearts of his people by grace, and finally over 
death, in their bodies, by his glorious power at the resur- 
rection. The triumph over sin we sing in psalms, and 
hymns, and spiritual songs, upon earth ; that over death 
we shall praise with everlasting hallelujahs, in heaven. 



FOURTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, which the church hath appointed to be used on Good Friday, 
as our Lord uttered the first verse of it when hanging on the cross, 
consisteth of two parts. The former, 1 — 21. treateth of the passions; 
the latter, 22 — 31. celebrateth the resurrection of Jesus, with its effects. 
1,2. He complaineth of being forsaken; 3 — 6. acknowledged the 
holiness of the Father, and pleadeth the former deliverances of the 
church; 6 — 8. describeth his humiliation, with the taunts and re- 
proaches of the Jews; 9 — 11. expresseth his faith, and prayeth for 
help; 12 — 18. particularizeth his sufferings; 19 — 21. repeateth his 
supplications; 22 — 25. declareth his resolution to praise the Father 
for his deliverance, and exhorteth his church to do the same ; 26 — 3J. 
prophesieth the conversion of the Gentile world to the faith and worship 
of the true God. 

1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why 
art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my 
roaring ? 

Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, when hanging on 
the cross, complained in these words, that he was deprived, 
for a time, of the divine presence and comforting influence, 
while he suffered for our sins. If the Master thus under- 
went the trial of a spiritual desertion, why doth the disciple 
think it strange, unless the light of heaven shine continu- 
ally upon his tabernacle ? Let us comfort ourselves, in 
such circumstances, with the thought, that we are thereby 
conformed to the image of our dying Lord, that Sun, 
which set in a cloud, to arise without one. 

2. O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest 
not ; and in the night season, and am not silent. 

Even our Lord himself, as man, prayed, " that if it were 
possible, the cup might pass from him ; " but God had 



DAY IV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



87 



ordained otherwise, for his own glory, and for man s salva- 
tion. " Day and night," in prosperity and adversity, living 
and dying, let us not be " silent," but cry for deliverance : 
always remembering to add, as Christ did, " Nevertheless, 
not my will, but thine be done." Nor let any man be 
impatient for the return of his prayers, since every petition 
preferred even by the Son of God himself was not granted. 

3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises 
of Israel.* 

Whatever befalleth the members of the church, the Head 
thereof here teacheth them to confess the justice and holiness 
of God in all his proceedings ; and to acknowledge, that 
whether he exalteth or humbleth his people, he is to be 
praised and glorified by them. 

4. Our fathers trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou 
didst deliver them. 

" Trust" in God is the way to " deliverance ; " and the 
former instances of the divine favour are so many arguments 
why we should hope for the same ; but it may not always 
be vouchsafed, when we expect it. The patriarchs and 
Israelites of old were often saved from their enemies : the 
holy Jesus is left to languish and expire under the malice of 
his. God knows what is proper for him to do, and for us 
to suffer ; we know neither. This consideration is an anchot 
for the afflicted soul, sure and stedfast. 

5. They cried unto thee, and were delivered ; they trusted 
in thee, and were not confounded. 

No argument is of more force with God, than that which 
is founded upon an appeal to his darling attribute of mercy, 
and to the manifestations of it formerly made to persons in 
distress ; for which reason it is here repeated, and dwelt 
upon. They who would obtain grace to help, in time of 
need, must C£ cry," as well as " trust." The "prayer of 
faith" is mighty with God, and (if we may use the expres- 
sion) overcometh the Omnipotent. 

6. But I am a worm, and no man: a reproach of men, 
and despised by the people. 

He who spareth all other men, spared not his own Son ; 
he spared not him, that he might spare them. The Redeemer 

* Or, perhaps, as Bishop Lowth renders it, " That thou inhabitest 
Vnup* r-vr?nn the irradiations, the glory of Israel." — See " Merrick's 
Annotations on the Psalms," p. 43. 



88 



A COMMENTARY 



Tps. XXII. 



of the world scrupleth not to compare himself, in his state 
of humiliation, to the lowest reptile which his own hand 
formed, a " worm," humble, silent, innocent, overlooked, 
oppressed, and trodden under foot. Let the sight of this 
reptile teach us humility. 

7, 8. All they that see me, laugh me to scorn ; they shoot 
out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the 
Lord, that he would deliver him : let him deliver him, seeing 
he delighted in him. 

This was literally fulfilled, when Messiah hung upon the 
cross, and the priests and elders used the very words that 
had been put into their mouths, by the spirit of prophecy, 
so long before. Matt, xxvii. 41 — 43. — "The chief priests 
mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He trusted 
in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him." 

O the wisdom and foreknowledge of God ! The infatua- 
tion and blindness of man. The same are too often the sen- 
timents of those, who live in times, when the church and her 
righteous cause, with their advocates, are under the cloud of 
persecution, and seem to sink beneath the displeasure of the 
powers of the world. But such do not believe, or do not 
consider, that, in the Christian economy, death is followed 
by a resurrection, when it will appear, that God forsaketh 
not them that are his, but they are preserved for ever. 

9, 10. But thou art he that took me out of the womb ; 
thou didst make me hope, when I was upon my mother's 
breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb : thou art my 
God from my mother's belly. 

This was eminently the case of Christ who was the Son 
of God in a sense, in which no other man ever was. But 
in him we are all children of God by adoption : we are all 
in the hands of a gracious Providence from the womb ; and 
into those hands must we commend ourselves, when about 
to depart hence. To whom else, then, should we have 
recourse, for support and consolation, in the day of cala- 
mity and sorrow ? 

11. Be not far from me, for trouble is near ; for there 
is none to help. 

From the foregoing considerations, namely, from the holi- 
ness of God, ver. 3. from the salvation vouchsafed to the 
people of old time, ver. 4, 5. from the low estate to which 
Messiah was reduced, ver. 6 — 8. and from the watchful care 



DAY IV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



89 



of the Father over him, since his miraculous birth, ver. 9, 10. 
from all these considerations, he enforced his petition for 
help, during his unparalleled sufferings, when " all forsook 
him, and fled." Let us treasure up these things in our 
hearts, against the hour when "trouble shall be near, and 
there shall be none to help;" when all shall forsake us, 
but God, our consciences, and our prayers. 

12, 13. Many bulls have compassed me : strong bulls of 
Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with 
their mouths, as a ravening and roaring lion. 

From the 11th verse to the 19th the sufferings of the holy- 
Jesus are described, in terms partly figurative, and partly 
literal. A lamb, in the midst of wild " bulls and lions," is 
a very lively representation of his meekness and innocence, - 
and of the noise and fury of his implacable enemies. " Ba- 
shan" was a fertile country, Numb, xxxii. 4. and the cattle 
there fed were fat and " strong." — Deut. xxxii. 14. Like 
them, the Jews, in that good land, " waxed fat and kicked," 
grew proud and rebelled ; forsook God " that made them, 
and lightly esteemed the rock of their salvation." Let both 
communities and individuals, when blessed with peace, 
plenty, and prosperity in the world, take sometimes into 
consideration this flagrant instance of their being abused ; 
with the final consequence of such abuse. 

14, 15. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are 
out of joint, or, sundered ; my heart is like wax, it is melted 
in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a 
potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws ; and thou 
hast brought me into the dust of death. 

For our sakes, Christ yielded himself like " water," 
without resistance, to the violence of his enemies ; suffering 
his " bones," in which consisteth the strength of the frame, 
to be distended and dislocated upon the cross ; while, by 
reason of the fire from above, to the burning heat of which 
this paschal Lamb was exposed, his heart dissolved and 
melted away. The intenseness of his passion, drying up 
all the fluids, brought on a thirst, tormenting beyond ex- 
pression ; and, at last, laid him low in the grave. Never, 
blessed Lord, was love like unto thy love ! Never was 
sorrow like unto thy sorrow; Thy spouse and body mystical, 
the church, is often, in a degree, conformed unto thee ; and 
as thou wert, so is she in this world. 



90 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXII. 



16. For clogs have compassed me, the assembly of the 
wicked have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. 

Our Lord, who compared himself above, ver. 12. to a 
lamb in the midst of bulls and lions, here setteth himself 
forth again under the image of a hart, or hind, roused early 
in the morning of his mortal life, hunted and chased all 
the day, and in the evening pulled down to the ground, by 
those who "compassed" and " enclosed " him, thirsting 
and clamouring for his blood, crying, " Away with him, 
away with him ! Crucify him, crucify him ! " And the 
next step was, the "piercing his hands and his feet," by 
nailing them to the cross. How often, O thou preserver of 
men, in thy church, thy ministers, and thy word, art thou 
thus compassed, and thus pierced ' 

17. / may tell all my bones : they look and stare upon me. 
The skin and flesh were distended, by the posture of 

the body on the cross, that the bones, as through a thin 
veil, became visible, and might be counted ; * and the holy 
Jesus, forsaken and stripped, naked and bleeding, was a 
spectacle to heaven and earth. Look unto him, and be ye 
saved, all ye ends of the world ! 

18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots 
upon my vesture. 

" The soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his 
garment, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, and 
also his coat ; now the coat was without seam, woven from 
the top throughout. They said, therefore, among them- 
selves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall 
be : that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith — 
They parted my garment among them, and for my vesture 
they cast lots." — John xix. 23, 24. 

19. But be thou not far from me, OLord; O my strength , 
haste thee to help me. 

The circumstances of the passion being thus related, 
Christ resumes the prayer, with which the Psalm begins, 
and which is repeated, ver. 10, 11. The adversary had 
emptied his quiver, and spent all the venom of his malice ; 

* " Qui macilenti sunt, sic habent ossa prominentia, ut facile omnia 
possint tactu secerni et numerari. David, quatenus hsec ei conveniunt, 
dicere hoc potuit de se fuga et molestiis emaciato. Sed Christus aptius 
ita loqui poterat, quod magis emaciatus esset, et corpore nudo atque in 
cruce distento, magis adparerent ossa." Le Clerc, cited by Bishop Lowth, 
in Merrick's Annotations. 



DAY IV. K. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



91 



therefore, prayeth for a manifestation of the power and 
favour of heaven on his side, in a joyful and glorious resur- 
rection. And to a resurrection from the dead every man 
will find it necessary to look forward for comfort. 

20, 2 1 . Deliver my soul from the sword : my darling* 
from the power of the dog. Save me from the lions mouth : 
for thou hast heard me, or, and hear thou me, from the 
horns of the unicorns. 

The wrath of God was the " sword," which took ven- 
geance on all men, in their representative ; it was the 
" flaming sword," which kept men out of paradise ; the 
sword, to which it was said, at the time of the passion — 
" Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the 
man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts : smite the 
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." — Zech. xiii. 7. 
Matt. xxvi. 31. The ravening fury of the "dog," the 
"lion," and the "unicorn," or "oryx," a fierce and un- 
tameable creature of the stag kind, is made use of to des- 
cribe the rage of the devil and his instruments, whether 
spiritual or corporeal. From all these Christ supplicates 
the Father for deliverance. How great need have we to 
supplicate for the same, through him ! 

22. / will declare thy name unto my brethren : in the 
midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 

The former part of the Psalm we have seen to be pro- 
phetical of the passion. The strain now changes to an epini- 
cion, or hymn of triumph, in the mouth of the Redeemer, 
celebrating his victory, and its happy consequences. This 
verse is cited by the apostle, Heb. ii. 11. — " Both he that 
sanctified and they who are sanctified are all of one : for 
which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, say- 
ing, I will declare thy name unto my brethren," &c. And 
accordingly, when the deliverance, so long wished, and so 
earnestly prayed for, was accomplished by the resurrection 
of Jesus from the dead, he " declared the name of God," by 
his apostles, to all his "brethren ;" and caused the church to 
resound with incessant praises and hallelujahs ; all which 
are here represented as proceeding from the body, by and 
through him who is the head of that body. 

* Heb. »nn»n» my united one. " May it relate to any thing more than 
Mtf ? The human nature united with the divinity in the-person of Christ ? 
Quaere." Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations. 



92 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXII 



23. # Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed 
of Jacob glorify him ; and fear him all ye seed of Israel, 

If Christ arose from the dead, to declare salvation to his 
brethren, and to glorify God for the same, how diligent 
ought we to be in doing the former ; how delighted in the 
performance of the latter ! Messiah first addresseth himself 
to his ancient people, "the seed of Jacob," to whom the 
gospel was first preached. How long, O Lord, holy and 
true, shall thy once highly favoured nation continue deaf to 
this gracious call of thine ; — " All ye seed of Jacob glorify 
him ; and fear him all ye seed of Israel." 

24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction 
of the afflicted : neither hath he hid his face from him, but 
when he cried unto him, he heard. 

The great subjects of praise and thanksgiving, in the 
church, are the sufferings of the lowly and afflicted Jesus, 
and the acceptance of those sufferings by the Father, as a 
propitiation for the sins of the world ; which acceptance 
was testified by raising him from the dead; inasmuch as 
the discharge of the surety proved the payment of the debt. 
The poor and afflicted brethren of Christ, may take comfort 
from this verse ; for if they suffer in his spirit, they will be 
raised in his glory. 

25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: 
I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 

The vow of Christ was, to build and consecrate to 
Jehovah a spiritual temple, in which the spiritual sacrifices 
of prayer and praise should be continually offered. This 
vow he performed, after his resurrection, by the hands of 
his apostles, and still continueth to perform, by those of his 
ministers, carrying on the work of edification in " the great 
congregation " of the Gentile Christian Church. The vows 
of Christ cannot fail of being performed. Happy are they, 
whom he vouchsafeth to use, as his instruments, in the 
performance of them. 

26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied : they shall praise 
the Lord that seek him : your heart shall live for ever. 

* Bishop Lowth is of opinion, that this verse and the following are the 
" song" of praise, which, in the verse preceding, the speaker says, he will 
utter " in the congregation." The introduction of it, as his Lordship 
justly observes, gives a variety to the whole, and is highly poetical, — 
Merrick's Annotations. 



* 



DAY IV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



93 



A spiritual banquet is prepared in the church for the meek 
and lowly of heart ; the bread of life and the wine of salva- 
tion are set forth in the word and sacraments; and they, that 
hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall be " satisfied " 
therewith: they, "who seek" the Lord Jesus in his ordi- 
nances, ever find reason to "praise him;" while nourished, 
by these noble and heavenly viands, they live the life, and 
work the works of grace, proceeding still forward to glory ; 
when their "heart shall live for ever" in heaven. 

27. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn 
unto the Lord ; and all the kindreds of the nations shall 
worship before thee. 

The great truths of man's creation and fall, with the pro- 
mise of a Redeemer to come, were " forgotten " by the 
nations, after their apostasy from the true God, and the one 
true religion; but were, as we may say, recalled to their 
" remembrance " by the sermons of the apostles, and the 
writings of Moses and the prophets, translated, and spread 
among them. By these they were converted to the faith, 
and now compose the holy church universal throughout the 
world ; being the glorious proofs and fruits of the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus from the dead. 

28. For the kingdom is the Lord's ; and he is the gover- 
nor among all nations. 

There is good reason why the nations should worship 
Christ, and throw away their idols ; since in his hands, not. 
in theirs, is the government of the world. Upon his ascen- 
sion he was crowned King of kings, and Lord of lords ; he 
ruleth in the church by his Spirit : and blessed are the 
hearts, that are his willing subjects in the day of his power. 

29. All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and 
worship : all they that go down to the dust shall bow before 
him, and none can keep alive his own soul. 

It was said above, ver. 26. " the meek," the poor, and 
lowly, "shall eat and be satisfied." It is here foretold, that 
the " fat ones of the earth," the great, the opulent, the flou- 
rishing, the nobles and princes of the world should be called 
in to partake of the feast, and to " worship " God. Rich, as 
well as poor, are invited ; # and the hour is coming, when all 

* They are " invited," but they do not so often accept the invitation. 
And it must be owned, that, jntt *2ttn are generally mentioned in an unfa- 
vourable sense. Bishop Lowth is therefore rather inclined to construe the 



94 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXI T. 



the race of Adam, as many as sleep in the "dust" of the 
earth, unable to raise themselves from thence, quickened 
and called forth by the voice of the Son of man, must 
" bow" the knee to King Messiah. 

30. A seed shall serve him ; it shall be accounted to the 
Lord for a generation. 

The apostle informeth us, Rom. ix. 8. that "the children 
of the promise are counted for the seed;" that is, the converts 
to be made, among the nations, by the preaching of the 
gospel, according to the promise of Abraham ; these were to 
constitute the church and family of Christ, the "generation " 
of the faithful ; these were to take the place, and enjoy the 
privileges of the Jews, cut off because of their unbelief. Lord , 
enable us to serve thee all our lives with a service acceptable 
to thee in Christ Jesus; that, at the resurrection of the just, 
we may be numbered in the generation of thy children. 

31. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness 
unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. 

The promised and expected race shall spring forth at the 
time appointed, and proclaim the "righteousness," which 
is of God by faith, to ages and generations yet unborn ; 
who hearing of that great work, which the Lord shall have 
wrought for the salvation of men, will thereby be led to 
glorify him in the church, for the same, to the end of time. 

Rise, crown'd with light, imperial Salem rise ! 
Exalt thy tow'ring head, and lift thy eyes ! 
See a long race thy spacious courts adorn ; 
See future sons and daughters yet unborn, 
In crowding ranks, on ev'ry side arise, 
Demanding life, impatient for the skies ! 
See barb'rous nations at thy gates attend, 
Walk in thy light, and in thy temple bend. 

Messiah. 



words, as Mr. Fenwick does ; all who are " fattened," that is, " fed " and 
" sustained by the earth." The expression then intimates the universality 
of the gospel, which, the apostle says, "was preached to every creature;" a 
phrase of similar import. All who would partake the benefits of Christ's 
passion, must worship him as a Saviour, before they are called upon to 
adore him as a Judge. The Bishop thinks, likewise, that the 29th verse 
should end with the words " bow before him ;" that the next words in the 
original should be read, as almost all the ancient versions seem to have 
read them, rrn »t£>Em and rendered — " But my soul shall live — My seed 
shall serve him," &c. 



PAY IV. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



95 



PSALM XXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the "sheep of God's pasture" address themselves to their 
great and good Shepherd, declaring, 1. their acquiescence and confi- 
dence in him ; 2. his diligence in feeding them with the food of eternal 
life ; 3, his watchful care in bringing them back from the ways of error, 
and conducting them in the path of truth ; 4. his power in saving them 
from death ; 5. his loving-kindness in vouchsafing his spiritual comforts, 
during their pilgrimage in an enemy's country; and 6. they express 
their hope and trust, that a continuation of that loving-kindness will 
enable them to pass, through the vanities and vexations of time, to the 
blissful glories of eternity. 

L The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. 

In these words, which one cannot utter, without feelino- 
the happiness they were intended to describe, the believer is 
taught to express his absolute acquiescence and complacency 
in the guardian care of the great Pastor of the universe ; the 
Redeemer, and Preserver of men. With joy he reflects, that 
he has a " Shepherd ; " and that that Shepherd is Jehovah ; 
one possessed of all the qualities requisite to constitute the 
pastoral character in the highest perfection. For where 
shall we ever find such unexampled diligence, such inex- 
pressible tenderness, such exquisite skill, such all-subduing 
might, and such unwearied patience? Why should they 
fear, who have such a friend ? How can they " want," who 
have such a " Shepherd ? " Behold us, O Lord Jesu, in 
ourselves, hungry, and thirsty, and feeble, and diseased, and 
defenceless, and lost. O feed us, and cherish us, and heal 
us, and defend us, and bear with us, and restore us. 

2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth 
me beside the still waters. 

The loveliest image afforded by the natural world is here 
represented to the imagination ; that of a flock, feeding in 
verdant meadows, and reposing, in quietness, by the rivers 
of water running gently through them. It is selected, to 
convey an idea of the provision made for the souls, as well 
as bodies of men, by His goodness, who " openeth his hand, 
and filleth all things living with plenteonsness. By me," 
saith the Redeemer, "if any man enter in, he shall be saved, 
and shall go in and out, and find pasture," — John x. 9. 



96 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXIII. 



And what saith the Spirit of peace and comfort ? — " Lei 
him that is athirst come ; and whosoever will, let him 
take the water of life freely." — Rev. xxii. 17. Every flock 
that we see should remind us of our necessities ; and 
every pasture should excite us to praise that love, by 
which they are so bountifully supplied. 

3. He restoreth my soul ; he leadeth me in the paths of 
righteousness \ for his name's sake. 

To "restore," or bring back those that had "gone astray," 
that is, in other words, to " call sinners to repentance," 
was the employment of Him, who in the parable of the 
" lost sheep," represented himself as executing that part 
of the pastoral office. By the same kind hand, when 
" restored," they are thenceforward led in " the path of 
righteousness ; " in the way of holy obedience. Obstruc- 
tions are removed ; they are strengthened to walk and run 
in the path of God's commandments ; while, to invite and 
allure them, a crown of glory appears, held forth, at the 
end of it. All this is now done, for, in, by, and through 
that "name," beside which there is none other under 
heaven given unto man whereby he may be saved. 

4. Yea ; though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me, thy rod 
and thy staff they comfort me. 

The sheep here express their confidence in the power of 
their Shepherd, as sufficient to defend them against the last 
and most formidable enemy, death himself. To apprehend 
the scenery in this verse, we must conceive the church mili- 
tant and the church triumphant, as two mountains, between 
which lieth the " valley of the shadow of death," necessary 
to be passed by those who would go from one to the other. 
Over all that region of dreariness and desolation, extendeth 
the empire of the king of terrors : and the believer alone 
" feareth no evil," in his passage through it ; because he is 
conducted by "that great Shepherd of the sheep, whom God 
brought again from the dead," Heb. xiii. 20. and who can 
therefore show us the path of life, through the vale of death. 
In all our dangers and distresses, but chiefly in our last and 
greatest need, let " thy rod," the sceptre of thy kingdom, O 
Lord, protect us, and thy pastoral " staff" guide and support 
our steps ; till, through the dreaded valley, we pass to the 
heavenly mountain, on which St. John saw " the Lamb 



DAY IV. E. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



97 



standing, with a great multitude redeemed from the earth." 
— Rev. xiv. 1. 

5. Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine 
enemies; thou anointest my head with oil ; my cup runneth 
over. 

Another set of images, borrowed from a "feast," is in- 
troduced, to give us ideas of those cordials and comforts 
prepared to cheer and invigorate the fainting soul, while, 
surrounded by "enemies," it is accomplishing its pilgrim- 
age through life ; during which time, its sorrows and af- 
flictions are alleviated and sweetened by the joys and 
consolations of the Holy One ; by the feast of a good 
conscience; by the bread of life, the "oil" of gladness, and 
the "cup" of salvation, still full, and "running over." 

6. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
days of my life ; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 
for ever. 

Experience of "goodness and mercy, already so often 
vouchsafed, begets an assurance of their being continued 
to the end; for nothing can separate us from the love of 
Christ, if we do not separate ourselves from it. Thus will 
the Lord our Saviour provide for us on earth, and conduct 
us to heaven; where we shall dwell to "length of days," 
even the days of eternity, " one fold under one Shepherd:" 
a fold into which no enemy enters, and from which no 
friend departs : where we shall rest from all our labours, 
and see a period to all our sorrows ; where the voice of 
praise and thanksgiving is heard continually; where all 
the faithful, from Adam to his last born son, shall meet 
together, to behold the face of Jesus, and to be blessed 
with the vision of the Almighty; where "we shall hunger 
no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun 
light on us, nor any heat. But the Lamb, which is in the 
midst of the throne, shall feed us, and lead us to living 
fountains of waters." — Rev. vii. 16, 17. 



H 



98 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXIV. 



FIFTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The plan of this Psalm, according to the letter of it, is beautifully deline- 
ated by Bishop Lowth, in his 27th Lecture. The ark of God is sup- 
posed to be moving, in a grand and solemn procession of the whole 
Israelitish nation, toward the place of its future residence, on Mount 
Sion. — See 1 Chron. xv. On ascending the mountain, the Psalm is sung, 
declaring, 1, 2. the sovereignty of Jehovah over all the earth ; describ- 
ing, 3 — 6. what the character ought to be of that people, whom he had 
more peculiarly selected to serve him in the house where his glory was 
to dwell, and of which, 7 — 10. it was now about to take possession. 
All this is by us to be applied to the Christian church, and the ascen- 
sion of our Lord into heaven ; for which reason, the Psalm is one of 
those appointed to be used on Ascension day. 

1. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof ; the 
world, and they that dwell therein. 

The God of Israel was Lord of the whole earth, by right 
of creation. The same divine person, who created the 
world, hath since, in Christ, redeemed it; and it is his 
again, by that right also. But the church Christian is his, 
in a more peculiar manner, as the church of Israel formerly 
was. We are doubly bound to adore and obey him. " It 
is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves," Ps. c. 3. 
and "we are not our own, being bought with a price." — 
1 Cor. vi. 20. The inference is, " Let us glorify God in our 
bodies, and in our spirits, which are," every way, "God's." 

2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established 
it upon the floods. 

The waters, which, at the creation, and again at the de- 
luge, overspread all things, being, by the power of God, 
driven down into the great deep, and there confined, the 
earth was, in a wonderful manner, constructed and estab- 
lished, as a circular arch, upon, or over them. Let us often 
meditate on this noble subject for contemplation and devo- 
tion; that we may learn whither we are to have recourse, 
when in danger of being overwhelmed by sins or sorrows. 

3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? and who 
shall stand in his holy place ? 

The connexion seems to be this. — If the Almighty Creator 



DAY V. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



99 



and Lord of all the earth has chosen us to be his peculiar 
people, to serve and worship him in his temple, upon the 
holy hill of Sion, whither the sacred symbol of his presence 
is now ascending, what manner of persons ought we to be? 
The reasoning is exactly the same, as Bishop Lowth ob- 
serves, with that of Moses, in Deut. x. 14 — 16. — " Behold 
the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy 
God ; the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the 
Lord had a delight in thy fathers, to love them ; and he 
chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as 
it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your 
heart, and be no more stiffnecked." The argument ap- 
plies, with additional force to ourselves as Christians. 
We compose a far more numerous and magnificent proces- 
sion than that of the Israelites, when the church universal, 
with her spiritual services, attends our Lord, as it were, 
upon his ascension, in heart and mind ascending, with him, 
into the holy places, not made with hands. 

4. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart ; ivho hath 
not lift up his soul unto vanity, or, placed his trust in vain 
idols, or, in the creature, nor sworn deceitfully. 5. He 
shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness 
from the God of his salvation. 

No man can ascend into heaven through his own right- 
eousness, but he who came down from heaven, and per- 
formed a perfect sinless obedience to the will of God. 
Sinners of old were purified, through faith in him that was 
to come, by typical offerings and ablutions, before they 
approached the sanctuary. We have been cleansed from 
our sins, and renewed unto holiness, by the blood of Christ, 
and the washing of the Holy Ghost. Thus we become his 
people : thus we " receive the blessing from the Lord, and 
righteousness from the God of our salvation." 

6. This is the generation of them that seek him; that seek 
thy face, O Jacob, or, O God of Jacob. 

Such ought the people to be, who seek the presence of 
God, and approach to worship him in the sanctuary ; who 
celebrate the ascension of their Redeemer, and hope, one 
(fey, to follow him into those happy mansions, which he is 
gone before to prepare for them. 

7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, 
ye everlasting doors ? and the King of Glory shall come in. 

h 2 



100 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXIV. 



8. Who is the King of Glory ? The Lord st? % o?ig and 
mighty r , the Lord mighty in battle. 9, 10. The chorus is 
repeated. 

We must now form to ourselves an idea of the Lord of 
Glory, after his resurrection from the dead, making his 
entry into the eternal temple of heaven ; as of old, by the 
symbol of his presence, he took possession of that figurative 
and temporary structure, which once stood upon the hill 
of Sion. We are to conceive him gradually rising, from 
Mount Olivet, into the air, taking the clouds for his chariot, 
and ascending up on high ; while some of the angels, like 
the Levites in procession, attendant on the triumphant 
Messiah, in the day of his power, demand, that those ever- 
lasting gates and doors, hitherto shut and barred against 
the race of Adam, should be thrown open, for his admission 
into the realms of bliss. — " Lift up your heads, O ye gates; 
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King of 
Glory shall come in." On hearing this voice of jubilee 
and exultation from the earth, the abode of misery and 
sorrow, the rest of the angels, astonished at the thought of 
a man claiming a right of entrance into their happy regions, 
ask, from within, like the Levites in the temple — " Who 
is this King of Glory ?" To which question the attendant 
angels answer, in a strain of joy and triumph — and let the 
church of the redeemed answer with them — " The Lord 
strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle;" the Lord 
Jesus, victorious over sin, death, and hell. Therefore we 
say, and with holy transport we repeat it — " Lift up your 
heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors ; 
and the King of Glory shall come in." And if any ask — 
" Who is the King of Glory?" To heaven and earth we 
proclaim aloud — " The Lord of Hosts," all conquering 
Messiah, Head over every creature, the Leader of the ar- 
mies of Jehovah, — " He is the King of Glory." Even so, 
Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High ! Amen. Hallelujah. 



DA V V. M. P.j 



ON THE PSALMS. 



101 



PSALM XXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

It is much the same, whether we suppose the church, or any single mem- 
ber thereof, to be speaking throughout this Psalm, and praying, 1 — 3. 
for help and protection against spiritual enemies; 4, 5. for knowledge 
and direction in the way of godliness ; pleading for this purpose, 6, 7. 
God's mercies of old ; 8. the perfections of his nature; 9, 10. enume- 
rating the qualifications requisite for scholars in the divine school ; 11. 
upon the strength of these arguments, enforcing the petition for mercy ; 
1*2 — 14. describing the blessedness of the man who feareth the Lord ; 
15 — 21. preferring divers petitions; and, 22. closing the whole with 
one for the final redemption of the Israel of God. 

1. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 2. O my 
God, I trust in thee : let me not be ashamed ; let not mine 
enemies triumph over me. 

Cares and pleasures are the weights which press the 
soul down to earth, and fasten her thereto ; and it is the 
spirit of prayer, which must enable her to throw off these 
weights, to break these cords, and to " lift up " herself to 
heaven. He who "trusteth" in anything, but in God, 
will one day be "ashamed " and confounded, and give his 
spiritual " enemies" cause to " triumph over him." 

3. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed : let them be 
ashamed, which transgress without a cause, or, vainly, rashly. 

God, as a father and a master, will never suffer his 
children and servants to want his favour and protection ; 
nor will he permit malicious rebels to enjoy it. Honour 
will, in the end, be the portion of the former, and shame 
the inheritance of the latter. 

4. Shew me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths. 5. 
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me ; for thou art the God 
of my salvation, on thee do I wait all the day. 

We are travellers to heaven, who, through temptation, 
are often drawn aside, and lose our way. The way is the 
law of God ; and, to keep that law, is to walk in the way. 
God only can put us in the way, and preserve and forward 
us therein ; for which purpose, we must continue instant 
in prayer to " the God of our salvation," that he would 
" teach " us to do his will ; that so we may not be ashamed 
and confounded. 



102 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXV. 



6. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving- 
kindnesses : for they have been ever of old. 

The soul, when hard beset with sins and sorrows, is apt 
to think that God hath forsaken and forgotten her. In 
this case, she cannot more effectually prevail upon him, or 
comfort herself, than by recollecting, and, as it were, re- 
minding him of former mercies ; since, however the dispo- 
sitions and affections of men may alter, God is always the 
same. 

7. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgres- 
sions ; according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy 
goodness' sake, O Lord. 

When God remembers his mercy, he forgets our sins ; 
and when he forgets our sins, he remembers his mercy ; for 
what else is his mercy, but the forgiveness, the blotting- 
out, the non-imputation of sin ? Who, that has lived long 
in the world, can survey the time past of his life, without 
breaking forth into this petition, adding, to " the sins of 
his youth," the many transgressions of his riper years ? 

8. Good and wpright is the Lord; therefore will he 
teach sinners in the way. 

Another argument for hope and trust in God, is drawn 
from his " nature." He hates sin, and loves righteousness ; 
he sent his Son to suffer for the one, and his Spirit to pro- 
duce the other ; and he cannot but be faithful and just to 
his own gracious promises, which all centre in the salvation 
of sinners by pardon and grace, through Him, who is " the 
way, the truth, and the life." 

9. The meek will he guide in judgment ; and the meek 
will he teach his way. 

Pride and anger have no place in the school of Christ. 
The Master himself is " meek and lowly of heart;" much 
more, surely, ought the scholars to be so. He who hath no 
sense of his ignorance, can have no desire, or capability of 
knowledge, human or divine. 

10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, unio 
such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. 

The law of God is the way by which he cometh to us, as 
well as that by which we go to him ; and all the different 
dispensations of that law, here styled " the paths of the 
Lord," are composed of "mercy and truth;" mercy pro- 
mising, and truth performing, meet together in Christ, who 



DAY V. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



103 



is "the end of the law to every man that believeth;" to 
such as " keep his covenant and his testimonies." 

11. For thy names sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, 
for it is great. 

The pardon of sin is to be asked and obtained, through 
that gracious "name," in which " mercy and truth are met 
together;" and so " great " is our sin, that pardon can be 
had only through that name. 

12. What man is he that feareth the Lord ? Him shall 
he teach in the way that he shall choose. 

The blessings consequent upon " the fear of the Lord," 
are such as will fully justify the earnestness and fervour of 
the foregoing petitions for pardon and grace. " The fear of 
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." He who hath it, will 
"choose " the right way, and will be "taught " to go therein. 

13. His soul shall dwell at ease, Heb. lodge in goodness : 
and his seed shall inherit the earth. 

It is a privilege of "the man who feareth the Lord," 
that, not only in this present life all things work together 
for his "good," but his soul, after having persevered in 
righteousness, shall take up its abode in the mansions of 
felicity. His " seed " likewise shall be blessed in the same 
manner, with such a portion of the temporal promise made 
to Abraham, as God seeth best for them, and certainly with 
an abundant share in the spiritual inheritance, the new earth, 
wherein dwell righteousness, joy, and glory. " Blessed are 
the meek," the seed of Christ, " for they shall inherit the 
earth." — Matt. v. 5. 

14. The secret, Heb.^/uW counsel, or, design of the Lord, 
is with them that fear him ; and he will show them his cove- 
nant, Heb. and his covenant, to make them know it. 

The greatest happiness of man in this world is, to know 
the fixed and determinate counsels of God concerning the 
human race, and to understand the covenant of redemption. 
This likewise is the reward of " the fear of the Lord." 
which humbles the soul, and prepares it for divine illu- 
mination, causing it to place all its comfort in meditation 
on the wonders of heavenly love. " All things which I 
have heard of my Father I have made known unto you," 
saith our Lord to his disciples. — John xi. 15. 

15. Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord: for he shall 
pluck my feet out of the net. 



104 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXV. 



Encouraged to hope for the blessings above mentioned, 
the lowly suppliant still continues to fix the eyes of his un- 
derstanding on their proper object, God his Saviour, be- 
holding his glory, attending to his will, and expecting his 
mercy. An unfortunate dove, whose feet are taken in the 
snare of the fowler, is a fine emblem of the soul, entangled 
in the cares or pleasures of the world ; from which she 
desires, through the power of grace, to fly away, and to be 
at rest, with her glorified Redeemer. 

16. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me ; for I 
am desolate and afflicted. 

They who are ever looking unto the Lord, will be heard, 
when they beseech him to turn his face, and to look upon 
them. When the soul, forsaking and forsaken by all earthly 
supports and comforts, finds herself in a state of desolation, 
and is experimentally convinced of her being, not in a pa- 
radise of delights, but in a vale of misery, then her visita- 
tion and deliverance are at hand. 

17. The troubles of my heart are enlarged : O bring thou 
me out of my distresses. 

As life is prolonged, troubles are generally enlarged,* 
till at length they take up what room there is in the heart. 
The last scene of the tragedy is the most calamitous. So 
it was in the life of our dear Master. And every man will 
sooner or later perceive, that God alone can " bring him 
out of his distresses." 

18. Look upon mine affliction and my pain, and forgive 
all my sins. 

Affliction and pain, whether of mind or body, are the 
fruits of sin ; and the pardon of sin is the first step toward 
the removal of sorrow. The latter is sent to beget in us a 
due sense of the former, in order to a deliverance from 
both. In the new earth "dwelleth righteousness;" and 
for that reason, " there is no more sorrow, pain, nor cry- 
ing."— 2 Pet. iii. 13. Rev. xxi. 4. 

19. Consider mine enemies, for they are many ; and they 
hate me with cruel hatred. 

* Bishop Lowth, with some slight alteration of the text, thinks the 
rendering should be, — 

Coarctationes cordis mei dilata ; 
Et ex angustiis meis educ me. 

See Merrick's Annotations. 



DAY V. M. P.j 



ON THE PSALMS. 



105 



As the evils we suffer are great, so the enemies we have 
to encounter are many. Their name is " legion : " and to 
their envy, hatred, and malice, there are no bounds. How 
unequal the combat, unless thou, O God, goest forth with 
us by thy grace, " conquering and to conquer ! " 

20. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed, 
for I have put my trust in thee. 

Preservation from sin, and deliverance from death, are 
two great gifts of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
For the latter clause, see ver. 2. 

21. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait 
on thee. 

How many wishes do our hearts send forth after riches, 
honours, and pleasures ! how few after " integrity and up- 
rightness ! " yet these can " preserve" us, and those cannot. 
Absolute integrity and uprightness are the prerogatives of 
the King; of Righteousness : and it is his grace which 
makes us such as his mercy will accept. On him, there- 
fore, let us "wait." 

22. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. 

In the common salvation all have an interest ; and, for 
that reason, all should pray for it. The earthly David pe- 
titioned for Israel ; the heavenly David ever continueth to 
intercede for the church ; and every Christian ought to 
become a suppliant for his brethren, still looking and 
longing for that glorious day, when, by a joyful resurrec- 
tion unto life eternal, God shall indeed " redeem Israel out 
of all his troubles." 



PSALM XXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

The party speaking in this Psalm, whether we suppose it to be the typical 
or the true David, the church or any member thereof, lying under the 
false accusations of calumny ; 1 — 3. appealeth to God in behalf of in- 
jured innocence; 4,5. disclaimeth all connection with wicked men; 
6 — 8. declareth a fixed resolution to adhere to the worship of God, in 
the church ; 9, 10, prayeth to be delivered from the ungodly ; 11. again 
protesteth integrity, and, 12. determineth to praise the Lord. 

1. Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity: 
I have trusted also in the Lord ; therefore I shall not slide. 



106 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXVI. 



We have here an appeal to God in behalf of injured and 
calumniated innocence. This was the case of David, with 
regard to the accusations of Saul ; of Christ, with regard 
to those of the Jews ; and it is often the case of the church, 
and of good men in the world, for whose use this Psalm 
seems peculiarly calculated. 

2. Examine me, O Lord, and 'prove me : try my reins 
and my heart. 

A trial of this sort might be desired by David, and may 
be desired by men, like him, conscious of their integrity, 
as to the particular crimes charged upon them by the ma- 
lice of their enemies. Christ alone could ask such a trial 
at large, as being equally free from every kind and degree 
of sin, and certain of receiving additional lustre from the 
increasing heat of the furnace. 

3. For thy loving -kindness is before mine eyes : and I 
have walked in thy truth. 

They who study, in order to copy, the " loving-kindness " 
and the " truth" of God, may have confidence toward him, 
whose "truth" will not suffer him to be false to the pro- 
mises which his " loving-kindness " prompted him to make. 

4. / have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in 
with dissemblers. 5. / have hated the congregation of evil 
doers : and will not sit with the wicked. 

David, driven by Saul into a land of aliens, yet preserved 
himself from the contagion of idolatry. And happy the 
Christian, who can say, that during the time of his banish- 
ment and pilgrimage, he hath escaped the pollutions that 
are in the world, namely, vanity and hypocrisy, evil prac- 
tices and wicked principles. Christ alone, like his emblem 
the light, passed through all things undefiled. 

6. I will wash mine hands in innocency : so will I compass 
thine altar, O Lord ; 7. That I may publish with the voice 
of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. 

Instead of consorting with the heathen, David comforts 
himself with the future prospect of restoration to Jerusalem : 
of attending the service of God in the tabernacle ; of per- 
forming the legal ablutions, in token of innocency, thereby 
signified : and of singing, before the holy altar, psalms of 
praise for his deliverance. The believing soul, in like man- 
ner, may find perpetual consolation, while she looks for- 
ward toward her return home, from her exile in the world, 



DAY V. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



107 



to the Jerusalem above ; her access to the fountain of life 
and purity, her employment of serving God in the eternal 
temple, and chanting forth, with angels and archangels, the 
new songs of the celestial Sion, for so great salvation. 

8. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the 
place where thine honour dwelleth, Heb. the place of the ta- 
bernacle of thy glory. 

With what ardent affection the banished prophet sighs 
for the beauty of holiness in the church, the most amiable 
object on earth, because the nearest resemblance of heaven, 
where is the true " habitation of God's house, and the place 
of the tabernacle of his glory;" since of the heavenly Jeru- 
salem St. John tells us, that the " Lord God Almighty and 
the Lamb are the temple." — Rev. xxi. 22. 

9. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with 
bloody men : 10. In whose hand is mischief and their right 
hand is full of bribes. 

In consideration of his integrity and piety, David be- 
seeches God not to deliver him over into the hands of his 
unjust and bloody enemies, nor to reckon him in their 
number. Let our lot, O Lord, be among thy children here, 
that it may be among them hereafter. 

1 1 . But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity : redeem 
me, and be merciful unto me. 

The Christian's resolution, like that of the prophet, must 
be, to hold fast his " integrity " in the midst of his enemies, 
and not follow a multitude to do evil ; as knowing, that the 
day of final " redemption and mercy" will come. 

12. My foot standeth in an even place ; in the congrega- 
tion will I bless the Lord. 

The law of God is that " even place," that plain and 
direct path, in which the affections, which are the " feet " 
of the soul, must be immoveably fixed, so that nothing may 
induce her to swerve from the stability of her purpose, to 
the right hand or to the left. David, upon his return to 
his country, " blessed the Lord in the congregation " of 
Israel, by singing psalms of praise and thanksgiving ; and 
by the constant use of those very psalms, the Lord is daily 
"blessed" in all Christian " congregations " throughout the 
world ; yea, and he shall be so blessed to the end of time. 



108 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXVII. 



FIFTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXVII. 

ARGUMENT, 

This Psalm containeth, 1 — 3. a declaration of trust and confidence in 
Jehovah, amidst the dangers and tumults of war ; a longing desire of 
restoration to the city and house of God ; 5, 6. a triumphant assurance 
of final victory and exaltation ; 7 — 12. earnest prayer for support and 
protection ; 13. a profession of faith, and its mighty power and comfort 
in affliction ; 14. an exhortation to patience. 

1. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I 
fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall T 
be afraid ? 

God is our " light," as he showeth us the state we are in, 
and the enemies we have to encounter; he is our "strength," 
as he enableth us, by his grace, to cope with, and overcome 
them; and he is our "salvation," as the author and finisher 
of our deliverance from sin, death, and Satan. All this he 
was to the blessed person, whom David represented ; and 
all this he will be to his faithful servants. " If God " there- 
fore, " be for us, who can be against us?" — Rom. viii. 31. 

2. When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came 
upon me, to eat my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 

The past time is often used, in the prophetical language, 
to intimate the certainty of the future. Faith sees the foe 
already vanquished, and the prey snatched from the jaws 
of the devouring lion. 

3. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart 
shall not fear ; though war should rise against me, in this 
will I be confident. 

What avails it, that the " host " of darkness is in arms, 
and the world taking the field against us, when the Lord is 
our light, and heaven our ally ? 

4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will L seek 
after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days 
of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire 
in his temple. 

The victories of David ended in his restoration to Jeru- 
salem, and the service of God : the victories of Christ ter- 



DAY V. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 109 

minated in his triumphant return to a better Jerusalem ; and 
this ought to be the " one thing desired " by the Christian, 
that, after his conquest over the body of sin, he may pass 
the unnumbered days of eternity in the courts of heaven, 
contemplating the beauty and glory of his Redeemer. 

5. For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his 
pavilion : in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me, he 
shall set me upon a rock. 

The protection and consolation, experienced by believers 
of the church militant, give them a taste of the loving-kind- 
ness of the Lord, and make them impatiently desirous of 
quenching their thirst at the fountain of divine pleasures, 
afier they shall have been exalted upon the rock of ages, 
from whence that fountain flows. 

6. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine ene- 
mies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle 
sacrifices of joy ; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto 
the Lord. 

These words, as they are supposed to be spoken by 
David, by Christ, or by the Church, express their respective 
assurances, through faith, of final victory over their several 
enemies, with their determined resolution of singing halle- 
lujahs to Jehovah for the same. 

7. Hear, O Lord, when / cry with my voice: have mercy 
also upon me, and answer me. 

From the assurances of faith it is always good to descend 
to the humiliation of prayer to God, who alone can grant 
unto us that one thing which we desire, and long after, 
while in the land of our captivity, and house of our pil- 
grimage. — See ver. 4. 

8. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face: my heart said 
unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will L seek. 

The voice of God, throughout the scriptures, exhorteth 
the believer to turn away from the delusive appearances of 
the creature, and to seek after Him, who is " altogether 
lovely," until he behold " the glory of God in the face of 
Je.-us Christ." To this voice the believer answers, like a 
well tuned instrument to the master's touch, declaring his 
resolution so to do. 

9. Hide not thy face far from me, put not thy servant 
away in anger ; thou hast been my help ; leave me not, 
neither forsake me, O God of my salvation ! 



110 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXVII, 



The suppliant, having determined to seek the face of God. 
here prayeth, that he would permit himself to be found, and 
to be seen; and that he would not, by "hiding his face," 
cause the light of knowledge to become darkness, and the 
fire of charity to go out. The church dreadeth nothing so 
much as an eclipse of the " Sun of Righteousness." 

10. When my father and my mother forsake me, then 
the Lord will take me up. 

A time will come, when the dearest earthly friends and 
relations can no longer be of any assistance to us.* The 
case of the church and of the soul is oftentimes compared to 
that of a poor, helpless, exposed orphan. Where worldly 
comforts end, heavenly ones begin. See Isa. xlix. 15. 
Matt, xxiii. 37. John ix. 35. 

11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain 
path, because of mine enemies. 

The child of God, learning to walk in the law of his 
heavenly Father, prayeth to be directed and strengthened 
from above, that the enemy may neither pervert his steps, 
nor triumph in his fall. 

12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies : 
for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as 
breathe out cruelty. 

David had his enemies, and false accusers ; Christ also 
had his ; and every child of God hath need to petition for 
deliverance from the great enemy of his salvation, the grand 
accuser of the brethren, who is ever breathing out malice 
and cruelty against the body and members of Christ. 

13. I had fainted, unless L had believed to see the good- 
ness of the Lord in the land of the living. 

" Faith " in the comfortable promises of God is the only 
sovereign cordial for a "fainting" spirit. Earth is the land 
of the dying ; we must extend our prospect into heaven, 
which is the land of the "living," where the faithful shall 
" see," and experience evermore, "the goodness of the Lord." 

14. Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall 
strengthen thine heart : wait, L say, on the Lord. 

The person speaking concludes with an apostrophe to his 

* As there seems to be some difficulty in supposing the Psalmist's 
parents to have " deserted " him, they might perhaps be said to have 
" forsaken " him (as Muis conjectures), that is, to have left him behind 
them, as being dead. — Merrick. 



DAY V. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



11] 



own soul, resulting from the confidence in God, expressed, 
ver. 1. from the desire and the hope of heaven, 4 — 13. and 
from the manifold pledges of the divine love already re- 
ceived in this life, 5. the proper inference from all which 
considerations is this : that we should patiently " wait on 
the Lord," till the few and evil days of our pilgrimage pass 
away, and we arrive at the mansions prepared for us in the 
house of onr heavenly Father ; till our warfare be accom- 
plished, and terminate in the peace of God ; till the storms 
and tempests of wintry time shall give place to the unclouded 
calm, and the ever-blooming pleasures, of eternal spring. 



PSALM XXVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, like the 22d. and many others, consisteth of two parts. For, 
1— -5. the true David appeareth in his state of humiliation and suffering ; 
he prayeth for deliverance, and prophesieth the destruction of his ene- 
mies. 6 — 9. He singeth a sweet, though short hymn of triumph, and 
intercedeth for his church and people. 

1. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock ; be not silent 
to me : lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that 
go down into the pit. 

The true David here maketh supplication, " with strong 
crying," to the Father, that he may not be suffered to con- 
tinue, like other men, under the dominion of the " grave." 
The Christian prayeth, in the same words, to be delivered 
from the "pit" of corruption; and mightily should he 
"cry" to Jehovah, the "rock" of his salvation, until his 
prayer be heard and answered. 

2. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto 
thee : when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. 

Christ frequently interceded for his people, with his 
" hands lifted up " toward " heaven," in fervent prayer : 
and — " I will," saith the apostle, " that men pray every 
where, lifting up holy hands." — 1 Tim. ii. 8. Shall our 
Redeemer pray for us, and shall we not pray for ourselves ? 

3. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the 
workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, 
but mischief is in their hearts. 



112 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. xxvur. 



Christ, who alone is without sin, petitioneth that he may 
not be oppressed by sinners : he who is truth and love, 
prayeth to be preserved from the " false and malicious. " 
Let us pray to be made like him ; and like him to be de- 
livered from evil, especially from the evil of a " lying and 
slandering " tongue. 

4. Give them according to their deeds, and according to 
the wickedness of their endeavours ; give them after the 
work of their hands, render to them their desert. 5. Because 
they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of 
his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up. 

In these verses, as indeed in most of the imprecatory 
passages, the imperative and the future are used promis- 
cuously ; " Give them — render them — he shall destroy 
them." If, therefore, the verbs, in all such passages, were 
uniformly rendered in the " future," every objection against 
the scripture imprecations would vanish at once, and they 
would appear clearly to be what they are, namely, pro- 
phecies of the divine judgments, which have been since 
executed against the Jews, and which will be executed 
against all the enemies of Jehovah, and his Christ, whom 
neither the " works " of creation, nor those of redemption, 
can lead to repentance. 

6. Blessed be the Lord because he hath heard the voice of 
my supplications. 7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; 
my heart trust eth in him, and I am helped : therefore my 
heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise him. 

The scene now changes, from the humiliation and suf- 
ferings, to the glory and triumph of Christ our head, who, 
through the power of the Divinity, having overcome his 
enemies, may be supposed, at his resurrection from the 
dead, to have sung this strain ; a strain, which they, who 
have been delivered from sin and sorrow, will best under- 
stand, by using it. 

8. The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving 
strength of his anointed, or, Christ. 

He who saved and exalted the Head, will also save and 
exalt the members ; or, as St. Paul expresseth it, " If the 
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in 
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also 
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in 
you."— Rom. viii. 11. And for the accomplishment of this 



DAY V. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



113 



glorious salvation, the salvation of his church, the Redeemer 
intercedeth in the remaining verse of this Psalm. 

9. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance ; feed them 
also, and lift them up for ever. 

Save us, Lord Jesu, from our sins ; bless us, O thou Son 
of Abraham, with the blessing of righteousness ; feed us, O 
thou good Shepherd of the sheep ; and lift us up for ever 
from the dust, O thou, who art the resurrection, and the life ! 



PSALM XXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the prophet, 1, 2. calleth the kings of the earth to give 
glory to Jehovah, and to the voice, or word of his power ; the effects of 
which, in the world and in the church, are most magnificently described ; 
the same things being true of thunder and lightning in the former, and 
of the word of God in the latter ; as each of them is styled, the " voice 
of the Lord ;" and both 3, 4. are mighty in operation; both, 5. rend, 
and, 6, 7. shake, and, 8. pierce, and melt, and, 9. make manifest. The 
Psalm concludes with, 10. an acknowledgment of the extent and glory 
of God's kingdom, and, 11. a promise of victory and peace through him. 

1. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord 
glory and strength. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due 
unto his name ; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 

The prophet adclresseth himself to the " mighty" ones of 
the earth, exhorting them to "give" God the "glory," and 
to submit themselves to the kingdom of Messiah ; to honour 
that holy "name," by which they must be saved; to bow 
before his altars, "by whom kings reign;" and to cast 
down their crowns at the foot of the eternal throne. 

3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters ; the God of 
glory th under eth ; the Lord is upon many waters. 

The reason why the mighty are exhorted to serve Jehovah, 
is because of his wondrous works, in the world, and in the 
church. By the " voice " or " word " of God, the " waters " 
were driven down into the deep, and forbidden to overflow 
the earth any more ; by the voice of God, the tumultuous 
and raging nations subsided, and the church was immovably 
fixed upon the rock of her salvation ; and by the gospel 
of the "'God of glory," all those effects were produced in 
the hearts of men, which are wrought upon terrestial sub- 

i 



114 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXIX. 



stances, by its well known and most significant emblem in 
the material heavens. 

4. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the 
Lord is full of majesty. 

Of the power and majesty of God's voice, when he speak- 
eth from heaven in thunder, few hearts are insensible ; of 
the power and majesty of his voice, when he spoke from 
heaven by his apostles, those " sons of" the spiritual " thun- 
der," the world was once fully sensible ; O may the evan- 
gelical "Boanerges" so cause the glorious sound of the 
gospel to be heard, under the whole heaven, that the world 
may again be made sensible thereof ; before that voice of 
the Son of Man, which hath so often called sinners to re- 
pentance, shall call them to judgment ! 

5. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars ! yea, the 
Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 

The force of lightning is known to rend in pieces the 
tallest and strongest trees, in a moment ; nor is the word of 
God less effectual in bringing down the loftiest pride, and 
rending the hardest heart of man, by the Spirit which 
accompanieth it. Thus was the persecuting Saul humbled 
and converted, by a " light" and a " voice " from " heaven ;" 
so that instead of " breathing out threatenings and slaugh- 
ters," he asks, like a meek and dutiful child, "Lord, what 
wilt thou have me to do 1 " — Acts ix. 1, 6. 

6. He maketh them also to skip like a calf ; Lebanon and 
Sir ion like a young unicorn. 

Thunder not only demolisheth the cedars, but " shaketh 
the mountains" on which they grow. Thus by the gospel, 
" every mountain and hill was shaken, and made low; every 
high thing which exalted itself against the knowledge of 
Christ, was cast down and brought into subjection." Isa. 
xl. 4. 2 Cor. x. 5. 

7. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. 

By the power of God, the " flames of fire" are "divided" 
and sent abroad from the clouds upon the earth, in the 
terrible form of lightning, that sharp and glittering sword of 
the Almighty, which no substance can withstand. The same 
power of God goeth forth by his word, " quick and power- 
ful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,"- penetrating, 
melting, enlightening, and inflaming the hearts of men. — 
Acts ii, 3. Heb. iv. 12. 



DAY V. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



115 



8. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness ; the 
Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 

The wilderness of Kadesh was a part of that wilderness 
through which the Israelites passed, in their way to Canaan. 
See Numb. xiii. 26. Thunder shaketh those wide extended 
deserts, as well as Lebanon and Sirion, mountains of Judea. 
The gospel was first preached in Palestine, but from thence 
it went forth into the Gentile world, that dry, barren, and 
desolate "wilderness." The wilderness is yet once again 
to be shaken by " the voice of God," and to be removed 
for ever, that paradise may succeed in its place. 

9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, or, 
the oaks to tremble* and discover eth the forests : and in his 
temple doth every one speak of his glory. 

Storms of thunder and lightning, attended often with 
whirlwinds, strip the trees of their leaves and bark, and 
disclose the recesses of forests. It is by the "word of God," 
that the "hidden things of darkness are manifested," and 
the "counsels of all hearts revealed:" for " all things are 
naked and opened unto the eyes of him, with whom we have 
to do." — 1 Cor. iv. 5. Heb. iv. 13. For these his marvellous 
works, in the natural and spiritual world, God is daily 
" glorified" in the " church." 

10. The Lord sitteth upon the flood : yea the Lord sitteth 
a King for ever. 

The Lord Jesus sitteth on his throne, having all power in 
the dispensations of nature and of grace ; by which, as he 
checketh at pleasure the rage of the most boisterous ele- 
ments in the former, so, with the same ease, he controlleth 
the fury of the enemy and oppressor in the latter ; saying, 
with equal authority, in both cases. Peace I be still ! 

11. The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord 
will bless his people with peace. 

From Jehovah, whose power and majesty have been with 
so much sublimity displayed in this whole Psalm, we are to 
expect, through faith and prayer, "strength" to overcome 

* So Bishop Lowth renders the clause in his Lectures. Aristotle, 
Plutarch, and Pliny, as cited by Mr. Merrick, mention the case of abortion 
being sometimes caused among cattle by thunder. Whatever terrifies to 
any degree, may certainly produce such an effect. But the Bishop's in- 
terpretation is, in every respect, the most eligible. The evident connexion 
with the words that follow, — " discovereth the forests," — forbids us to 
doubt of its being right. 

i 2 



116 A COMMENTARY [PS. XXX. 

our enemies, whether ghostly or bodily ; and also the 
blessing of "peace," which must be the fruit of victory. 
Thou, O Christ, art the " Mighty God ; " and therefore 
thou art the " Prince of Peace." — Isa. ix. 6. 



SIXTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXX. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, or devout hymn, composed probably by David, on his revi- 
siting the sanctuary, after a joyful recovery from some dangerous sick- 
ness ; he, 1 — 3. returneth thanks for that event ; and, 4. calleth the 
church to do so likewise ; 5. draweth a comparison between temporary 
sufferings and eternal rewards. 6,, 7. He describeth his former pros- 
perity, succeeded by affliction, with, 8 — 10. the supplications poured 
forth to the Almighty, in the day of his distress ; and then returneth 
again, 11. to celebrate his deliverance, and, 12. to glorify God for the 
same. The Psalm is finely adapted to the case of the true David, and 
of Christians, his disciples and followers. 

1. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, 
Heb. drawn me out, and hast not made my foes to rejoice 
over me. 

These words, if originally composed and uttered by king 
David, on occasion of some temporal mercy, apply, in a far 
more emphatical and beautiful manner, to the case of Mes- 
siah suffering and rising again, as well as to that of his 
church and people, following him both in his sufferings and 
resurrection ; when we shall all lift up our voices, and sing 
together — " I will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted 
me up ! and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me." 

2. O Lord, my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast 
healed me. 

Deliverance is to be attained by " prayer ; " for so David, 
and so the Son of David obtained it ; the former was 
" healed," at his restoration to health and strength ; the 
latter at the resurrection : the soul is healed at its repent- 
ance and conversion; and the body will hereafter be repaired, 
beautified, and glorified, from the ruins of the grave. 

3. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul, or, animal 



PAY VI. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



117 



frame, from the grave : thou hast kept me alive, that I 
should not go down to the pit. 

The resurrection of David was a figurative one ; that of 
Christ was a real one, as that of his saints will be ; so that 
the Psalm is more strictly applicable to the true, than it 
ever could have been to the typical David. The latter clause 
may be rendered — " Thou hast quickened me from among 
them that go down to the pit ;" which rendering is most 
agreeable to the former part of the verse — " Thou hast 
brought up my frame from the grave. 

4. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks 
at the remembrance of his holiness, or, of his Holy One. 

The church of the redeemed is called upon to glorify the 
name of God, for his remembrance of "the King of saints," 
and for the accomplishment of the promise, in raising him 
from the dead. 

5. For his anger endureth but a moment ; in his favour 
is life : weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in 
the moisting. 

This is a most beautiful and affecting image of the suffer- 
ings and exaltation of Christ ; of the sorrows and joys of a 
penitent; of the miseries of time, and the glories of eternity ; 
of the night of death, and the morning of the resurrection. 

6. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 
7. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to 
stand strong : thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. 

David, after his success against Goliath, and Christ, upon 
his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, were hailed by the 
acclamations and hosannas of the people, as the Christian 
may sometimes meet with the applauses of the world, and 
be led to think himself established in prosperity. But other 
troubles awaited David ; and the blessed Jesus was nailed 
to the cross. Let not the disciple expect to be above his 
Master; nor, in the season of life and joy, neglect to prepare 
for the approaching days of sorrow and darkness. 

8. / cried unto thee, O Lord, and unto the Lord L made 
supplication. 9. What profit is there in my blood, when I 
go down to the pit ? Shall the dust praise thee ? Shall it 
declare thy truth? 10. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy 
upon me ; Lord, be thou my helper. 

These are some of " the strong cryings and supplications" 
which the true David poured forth, while under the cloud of 



118 



A. COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXI. 



his passion ; and which are to be poured forth by us, when 
conformed to his image, in suffering affliction. The argu- 
ment here used is a very powerful one, namely, the necessity 
of a resurrection from the grave, that man may be saved, 
and God glorified. The dead cannot praise or serve God. 
They must live again for this purpose ; and for this purpose 
it is, that we should desire to live, whether it be in the 
present world, or that which is to come. 

11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing ; 
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. 

This might be true of David, delivered from his calamity ; 
it was true of Christ, arising from the tomb, to die no more ; 
it is true of the penitent, exchanging his sackcloth for the 
garments of salvation ; and it will be verified in us all, at 
the last day, when we shall put off the dishonours of the 
grave, to shine in glory everlasting. 

12. To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and 
not he silent : O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto 
thee for ever. 

The end of Christ's resurrection, of the salvation of the 
souls of the faithful, and the resurrection of their bodies, 
is one and the same, namely, the glory of God, who is the 
Author of every kind of deliverance ; whose praise should, 
therefore, be resounded by the grateful tongues of the 
redeemed, from generation to generation; as the tongue 
then becometh the "glory" of man, when it is employed 
in setting forth the glory of God. 



PSALM XXXI. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, ver. 5th of which was pronounced by our Lord, when ex- 
piring on the cross, we hear the true David, like his representative of 
old, 1 — 6. supplicating for deliverance ; 7, 8. rejoicing in the divine 
favour and assistance ; 9 — 1 3. describing his afflicted and forlorn state ; 
14 — 18. returning again to his prayers; 19 — 22. celebrating the mer- 
cies of God to the children of Adam ; and 23, 24. exhorting his saints 
to courage and perseverance, under their troubles in the world. 

1 . In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be 
ashamed, deliver me in thy righteousness. 

God is faithful and just to save those, who, in time of 



DAY VI. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. US 

trouble, renouncing all dependence on themselves and the 
creature, "put their trust" only in his mercy. His honour 
is engaged by his promise, not to let such be " ashamed" 
of their confidence. 

2. Bow down thine ear to me, deliver me speedily: he 
thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 

The Christian, like his blessed Master, is "besieged" by 
many and powerful enemies, insomuch, that notwithstanding 
all human precautions, " unless Jehovah keep the city, the 
watchman waketh in vain." Who, in such circumstances, 
would not pray for "speedy" deliverance? 

3. For thou art my rock and my fortress : therefore, for 
thy names sake, lead me and guide me. 

God will be the "rock''* and "fortress" of those who 
esteem him as such ; and after having been so, through all 
the dangers and difficulties of life, he will "'lead" and 
" guide " them to the realms of peace and rest for the sake 
of that "name" which implieth salvation. 

4. Pull me out of that net which they have laid privily 
for me : for thou art my strength. 

As David prayed for an escape from the secret conspira- 
cies that were entered into against him, so did Christ pray for 
deliverance from the snares of death ; and so doth the Chris- 
tian pray to be extricated frorn the toils both of sin and death. 

5. Into thine hand I commend my spirit ; thou hast 
redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth. 

David, in his distresses, might, by these words, express 
his resignation of himself and his affairs into the hands of 
God ; but it is certain, that Christ actually did expire upon 
the cross, with the former part of this verse in his mouth. — 
Luke xxiii. 46. Xor is there any impropriety in the appli- 
cation of the latter part to him ; since, as man, the surety 
and representative of our nature, he was "redeemed " from 
the power of the enemy, by the "God of truth" accom- 
plishing his promises. 

6. / have hated them that regard lying vanities : but I 
trust in the Lord. 

They may hope for redemption, who so " trust in God," 
as to trust in nothing beside him ■ for all else is "vanity," 
and will deceive. 

7. L will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, for thou hast 
considered my trouble ; and hast known my soul in adver- 



120 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXI. 



sides : 8. And hast not shut vie up into the hand of the 
enemy ; thou hast set my feet in a large room. 

The considerations that make the soul " cheerful " in the 
hour of affliction, are, that God is merciful ; that as he is 
not ignorant, so neither is he unmindful of our troubles ; 
that he is a friend, who "knows" us in adversity, no less 
than in prosperity ; that he hath not subjected us to the 
necessity of being overcome by our spiritual enemies ; but 
hath, " with the temptation, made a way for us to escape." 

9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble : 
mine eye is consumed with grief yea my soul, or, animal 
frame, and my belly. 

Upon the strength of the foregoing considerations, sup- 
plication is here made for deliverance from troubles, which 
wasted the eyes with weeping, and exhausted the strength 
and vigour of the frame. Such were the troubles of David, 
and, more emphatically, those of Christ ; and sickness and 
sorrow will one day teach us all to use the same expressions. 

10. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with 
sighing : my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and 
my bones are consumed. 

Do we not in these words, hear the voice of the " man 
of sorrows," suffering, not indeed for his own "iniquity," but 
for ours, of which he frequently, in the Psalms, speaks, as 
if it were his own ? If sin was punished in the innocent 
Lamb of God, let us not expect that it should be unpunished 
in us, unless we repent ; and let our punishment never fail 
to remind us of our guilt. 

11. / was a reproach among all mine enemies, but espe- 
cially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaint- 
ance ; they that did see me without, fled from me. 

These particulars were never more applicable to David, 
than they were to the Son of David, when his acquaint- 
ance, at beholding him reviled by his enemies, were terrified 
from attending him, and when " all the disciples forsook 
him, and fled." The same things are often too true of the 
faith and the church. They are true likewise of every 
man, when he suffers the dishonours of the last enemy, 
death; when he is " a fear" to his dearest friends, and they 
are obliged to forsake him. 

12. / am forgotten as a dead man out of mind ; I am 
like a broken vessel. 



DAY VI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



121 



This was literally the case of Christ, when laid in the 
sepulchre, and esteemed no longer the object of hope by 
his friends, or of fear by his enemies. That he should be 
so " forgotten" while dead, is less wonderful, than that this 
should have happened since his glorious resurrection and 
ascension into heaven. 

13. For I have heard the slander of many, fear was on 
every side, while they took cousel together against me they 
devised to take away my life. 

The slander of Shimei, and the counsel of Ahitophel 
against king David, direct us to the slanders of the Jews, 
and the counsels of Judas and the Sanhedrim against the 
beloved Son of God, who, in his church, will be perse- 
cuted in like manner by the ungodly, to the world's end. 

15. But I trusted in thee, O Lord ; I said, thou art my 
God. 15. My times are in thy hand ; deliver me from the 
hand of mine enemies, and from them that 'persecute me. 
16. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for 
thy mercies' sake. 

In all our afflictions, after the example of the typical, 
and of the true David, we are to have recourse to the 
prayer of faith ; we are to consider, that Jehovah is our 
God and Saviour : that the times and the seasons of pros- 
perity and adversity, of life and death, are in his hand ; 
and, therefore, on him we are to wait, till the day of mercy 
shall dawn, and the shadows fly away. 

17. Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called 
upon thee ; let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent 
in the grave. 18. Let the lying lips be put to silence; 
which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously 
against the righteous. 

Ahitophel, for his treason against David, and Judas, for 
his treachery against Christ, felt the force of this propheti- 
cal imprecation, or prediction, which will also one day take 
its full effect in the confusion of all impenitent calumniators 
and traitors. 

19. O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up 
for them that fear thee ; which thou hast wrought for them 
that trust in thee, before the sons of men. 

Peace of conscience, the comforts of the Spirit, and the 
hope of future glory, will teach the soul, even in the dark- 
est night of affliction, to break forth into this exulting strain 



122 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXI 



of gratitude and praise, for the blessings experienced by 
those who confess their Saviour before men. 

20. Thou ska It hide them in the secret of thy presence 
from the pride, Heb. conspiracies of men ; thou shalt keep 
them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 

In times of contention and persecution, there is a refuge 
for the faithful in " the tabernacle of David," which is the 
mystical body of Christ, inhabited by the presence of 
God. In this sacred "pavilion," they enjoy the pleasures 
of contemplation and devotion, regardless of the distant 
tumult and confusion of the world. 

21. Blessed be the Lord ; for he hath showed me marvel- 
lous kindness in a strong city. 

The man Christ, and the church with him, like David of 
old, here rejoice in the protection and saving power of God, 
in the same manner as in Isa. xxvi. 1. — " We have a strong 
city ; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks." 

22. For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before 
thine eyes ; nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my sup- 
plications, when I cried unto thee. 

Whoever shall consider the troubles of the beloved Son 
of God, bereaved for a season of the light of heaven, only 
that it might afterward arise upon him with the greater 
lustre, will be taught never to faint under the chastisement 
of the Lord ; since the darkness of the night argues the 
approaching dawn of the day. 

23. O love the Lord, all ye his saints : for the Lord pre- 
serveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud 
doer. 24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen 
your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. 

The exhortation is raised from the consideration of the 
deliverance of Christ, with the destruction of his enemies ; 
which ought to strengthen and comfort the hearts oi 
believers, under all their afflictions here below ; that so, 
after having suffered courageously with their Master, they 
may triumphantly enter into his joy and glory. 



DAY VI. £. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



123 



SIXTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, which is the second of those styled penitential, David, as 
a model of true repentance, 1, 2. extolleth the blessedness of those 
whose sins are forgiven them ; 3, 4, describeth the torment endured by 
him before he confessed his sin ; and, 5. the goodness of God in par- 
doning it, when confessed ; 6. he foretelleth that others, after his 
example, should obtain the like mercy; 7. declareth his hope and 
confidence in his God ; who, 8. is introduced, promising wisdom and 
grace to the penitent; 9, 10. sinners are warned against obstinacy; 
and, 1 1 . the righteous exhorted to rejoice in God their Saviour. 

1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose 
sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord 
imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 

As the sick man is eloquent in the praise of health, so the 
sinner beginneth this his confession of sin with an encomium 
on righteousness, longing earnestly to be made a partaker 
of the evangelical " blessedness ;" to be delivered from the 
guilt and the power of sin ; to be pardoned and sanctified, 
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. — See Rom. iv. 6. 

3. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my 
roaring all the day long. 

In opposition to the blessedness above mentioned, the 
penitent now proceeds to declare his own wretched estate, 
occasioned by his " keeping silence," or not confessing his 
sin, which therefore rankled and festered inwardly, occa- 
sioning torment inexpressible. The disorders of the mind, 
as well as those of the body, should be communicated to 
persons skilful in assuaging and removing them. Many 
might thereby be saved from the horrible crime of self- 
murder, which is generally committed in agonies of solitary 
remorse and despair. 

4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me : my 
moisture is turned into the drought of summer. 

Outward calamities, and inward pangs of conscience, are 
the strokes of God's hand, designed to humble the sinner, 
and lead him to confession ; and in the infliction of these, 
such severity is sometimes necessary, that the patient is 



124 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXII 



brought to death's door before a turn can be given to the 
disease ; but the pain of a blow upon an ulcerated part, 
however exquisite, is well compensated for, if, by promoting 
a discharge, it effect a cure. 

5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity 
have not I hid : I said, I will confess my transgressions 
unto the Lord ; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. 

What is this but the gospel itself — " If we confess our 
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." — 1 John 
i. 9. And thus it happened, in one case, to David, who had 
no sooner confessed his sin to the prophet Nathan, but an 
answer of peace was instantly vouchsafed — " The Lord hath 
put away thy sin." — 2 Sam. xii. 13. Were angels to des- 
cend from heaven, to comfort the dejected spirit of a sinner, 
they could say nothing more effectual for the purpose, than 
what is said in this verse of our Psalm. But practice will 
be the best comment upon it. 

6. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in 
a time when thou mayest be found : surely in the floods of 
great waters they shall not come night unto him. 

Encouraged, by this example and declaration of David, 
to hope for mercy, on confession of sin, it is here foretold 
that humble penitents shall be led to make their prayer unto 
God in the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation, 
while he "may be found;" that so they may be forgiven, 
and preserved from great and overwhelming calamities ; 
from the fears of death, and the terrors of judgment. 

7. Thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from 
trouble: thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. 

The penitent, happily returned to the house of his 
heavenly Father, now esteemeth himself safe under his pro- 
tection ; and resteth in full assurance that all his sorrows 
shall one day be turned into joy, through the redemption 
which is in Christ Jesus. 

8. / will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way in which 
thou shalt go : I will guide thee with mine eye. 

The Redeemer is here introduced, returning an answer to 
the penitent's declarations of his humility and faith ; pro- 
mising "instruction in that wisdom which every man wants, 
who continues in sin, together with the direction of the 
Spirit in the way of righteousness, and the superintendence 
of his watchful care. Man cannot prevent evils, because he 



DAY VI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 125 

cannot foresee them. " Next, therefore, to the protecting 
power of God's Wing, is the securing prospect of his Eye," 
saith Dr. South. 

9. Be ye not as the horse, or, as the mule, which have no 
understanding : whose mouth must be held in with bit and 
bridle, lest they come near unto thee. 

The person speaking in the former verse, or the prophet 
himself, exhorts sinners to repent, at the invitation and 
encouragement afforded them ; and not to continue, like 
brutes, fierce, obstinate, and senseless, until, like them, 
they must be tamed and managed by force, and the severity 
of discipline. 

' 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that 
trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. 

They who are not to be reformed by gentler methods, 
must learn righteousness under the rod of affliction, in the 
school of the cross : and happy are they if their " sorrows " 
may so turn to their advantage. But happier are those, 
who, led by the goodness of God to repentance and faith, 
enjoy the light and protection of "mercy." 

11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous: and 
shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart* 

In the beginning of the Psalm, the penitent, smitten with 
a sense of his wretchedness on account of his sins, extolleth 
the blessedness of the righteous ; he now again doth the 
same, through a joyful sense of his pardon, and restoration 
to that happy state. Let us "rejoice," O Lord Jesu ; but 
let us rejoice " in thee," and in thy salvation ; so shall we 
rejoice indeed ! 

* Bishop Lowth is of opinion, this verse should be the first of the 
ensuing Psalm, the repetition being in the very style and manner of the 
Hebrews, and the words repeated and varied with the greatest art and 
elegance. " Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous ; and shout 
for joy, all ye that are upright in heart — Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righte- 
ous, for praise is comely for the upright." — See Merrick's Annotations. 



126 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXIII. 



PSALM XXXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the Prophet, 1 — 3. exhorteth the faithful to a spiritual and 
holy joy in their God, whom they are to praise; 4, 5. for his truth, 
righteousness, and mercy ; 6 — 9. for his power, displayed in the works 
of creation ; 10 — 19. for the wisdom of his providence, and the care 
he hath of his people. 20, 21. The righteous, in answer to the exhorta- 
tion, declare their joy and confidence in God their Saviour ; and, 
22. prefer a petition for his manifestation. 

1. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise is 
comely for the upright. 

God, and not the world is the fountain of "joy;" which 
sinners talk of, but the righteous only possess. " Rejoice in 
the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice." — Phil. iv. 4. 

2. Praise the Lord with harp : sing unto him with psal- 
tery, and an instrument of ten strings. 

Music, both vocal and instrumental, is of eminent use in 
setting forth the praises of God ; but there is no instrument 
like the rational soul, and no melody like that of well-tuned 
affections. When this music accompanies the other, the 
sacred harmony of the church is complete. 

3. Sing unto him a new song, play skilfully with a loud 
noise. 

" Old things are passed away," and the ideas of a Christian 
are to be transferred from the old world, and the old dis- 
pensation, to the "new," since, under the gospel, " all 
things are become new," and all men ought to become so. 
— Rev. xxi. 1, 5. Abilities of every kind are never so well 
employed, as in the service of him who giveth them. 

4. For the word of the Lord is right : and all his works 
are done in truth. 

God is to be praised for his word, and his works ; for his 
rectitude in the one, and his truth in the other; for his 
faithfulness in accomplishing by the latter, what his good- 
ness had promised in the former. The sense will be the 
same, if we suppose that by the "word of the Lord" is 
meant the personal Word, or Son of God, all whose "works," 
wrought for the salvation of men, "are done in truth, 11 as 
witnessed by the law and the prophets. 

5. He loveth righteousness and judgment : the earth is 
full of the goodness, Heb. mercy of the Lord. 



DAY VI. E. P.] 



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127 



"Justice" is an attribute inseparable from God; and 
what deserves the praises of man, as it excites the admira- 
tion of angels is, that, without sacrificing this formidable 
attribute, he hath contrived to fill and overflow the earth 
with his " mercy." 

6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made : and 
all the host of them by the breath, or, spirit of his mouth. 

It is true that the world was created by the " word," or 
" fiat" of God, which may be here described, after the man- 
ner of men, as formed by " the breath of his mouth." It is 
also true, that by the instrumentality of the eternal Word, 
and the Spirit, the old heavens and earth were made ; as 
also the new heavens and earth, which shall succeed them. 
Glory is due from man to God, the Father, the Word, and 
the Holy Spirit. 

7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together, as an 
heap : he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 

The next instance of divine power and goodness, for which 
we are here excited to be thankful, is that of laying up the 
waters, which originally covered the face of the earth, in the 
great deep beneath. And let us reflect, that by the same divine 
power and goodness, a deluge of wickedness and violence is 
prevented from overwhelming the faith and the church. 

8. Let all the earth fear the Lord ;. let all the inhabitants 
of the world stand in awe of him. 9. For he spake and it 
was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast. 

He who made all things, who preserves all things, and 
can in a moment destroy all things, is the proper object of 
our "fear;" and that we fear him so little, is a most con- 
vincing proof of the corruption and blindness of our hearts. 

10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to 
nought, he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 
11. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever : the thoughts 
of his heart to all generations. 

The wisdom of God's providence is not less worthy of 
adoration, than the power of his might. By this wisdom, 
the "councils" of states and empires are either directed to 
the accomplishment of the great council of heaven ; or. if 
they attempt to thwart it, are blasted, and " brought to 
nothing." History will force all, who read it with this 
view, to acknowledge thus much. And with this view, in- 
deed, it should always be read. 



128 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXIH. 



12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ! and the 
people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 

The foregoing considerations of the righteousness, truth, 
mercy, power, and wisdom of Jehovah, naturally suggest a 
reflection on the "blessedness" of the church, in whose 
cause all those attributes are, by the covenant of grace, 
engaged and exercised. But who now esteems this blessed- 
ness as it deserves ? 

13. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the 
sons of men. 14. From the place of his habitation he looketh 
upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15. He fashioneth 
their hearts alike : he considereth all their works. 

How great must be the advantage of living in his favour, 
and under his protection, who, from the watch-tower of his 
eternal throne, beholdeth, directeth, and controlleth at 
pleasure, not only the actions and the words, but the very 
thoughts and imaginations of all the inhabitants of the 
earth ! For, this being the case, it is most certain that — 

16. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host : a 
mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17. An horse 
is a vain thing for safety : neither shall he deliver any by 
his great strength. 

All the power in the world is less than nothing, if brought 
into the field against that of God ; so that the fate of every 
battle will depend upon the side which he shall please to take, 
who is equally able to confound the many and the mighty, 
and to give victory to the weak and the few. The same is 
true of that spiritual warfare, in which we are all engaged. 

18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear 
him ; upon them that hope in his mercy: 19. To deliver their 
soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 

The ever waking eye of Providence, which looketh on all, 
looketh with favour and loving-kindness on such as "fear" 
God without despondency, and " hope" in him without pre- 
sumption ; their bodies are often wonderfully preserved in 
times of danger and want ; but what is of far greater con- 
sequence, their souls are saved from spiritual and ever- 
lasting death, and nourished, in the wilderness, with the 
bread of heaven. 

20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord : he is our help and our 
shield. 21. For our heart shall rejoice in him ; because we 
have trusted in his holy name. 



DAY VI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



129 



In answer to the foregoing exhortation, the " righteous' ' 
are here introduced, declaring their fixed resolution to per- 
severe in faith and patience, " waiting " for the coming of 
their Lord and Saviour, in whom they " rejoice with joy 
unspeakable and full of glory," by reason of that humble 
and holy confidence which they have in him. 

-22. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we 
hope in thee. 

The " hope ,5 of the church was always in Messiah. Of 
old she prayed for the " mercy" of his first advent ; now 
she expecteth his second. Grant us, O Lord, hope, of 
which we may never be disappointed. 



PSALM XXXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The prophet, escaped out of the hands of his enemies, uttereth a song of 
praise, in words which the Christian now employeth to celebrate the far 
greater deliverance of his Saviour, and himself by him, from the power 
of more formidable adversaries, i — 7. He calleth his brethren to re- 
joice with him, and to magnify God for the favour and protection 
vouchsafed to his servant in a time of danger; 8 — 10. he exhorteth 
others to taste and experience the goodness of Jehovah to such as fear 
him ; and, for that purpose, 11 — 14. instructeth them in the nature and 
effects of divine fear ; after which, )5 — 22. he sweetly descanteth ou 
the certainty of redemption from all the tribulations endured by the 
faithful in this mortal life. 

1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall 
continually be in my mouth. 

The Christian, delivered from many perils, yet continually 
liable to more, finds cause, at all seasons, and in all situa- 
tions, to bless God. " In all things he gives thanks, and 
rejoices even in tribulation," which cannot deprive him of 
the true ground of all joy, the salvation of Christ. 

2. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord ; the humble 
shall hear thereof, and be glad. 

The glory of every action is to be ascribed to God, whose 
interpositions in behalf of his people of old time, afford 
consolation and joy to the humble and afflicted. But chiefly 
are the members of the church bound to give thanks for the 

K 



130 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXXIV. 



resurrection and triumph of Christ, their head. " The hum- 
ble" can never "hear" of this, without being "glad." 

3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his 
name together. 

The Christian not only himself magnifies God, but ex- 
horts others to do likewise ; and longs for that day to come, 
when all nations and languages, laying aside their conten- 
tions and animosities, their prejudices and their errors, their 
unbelief, their heresies, and, their schisms, shall make their 
sound to be heard as one, in magnifying and exalting their 
great Redeemer's name. 

4. / sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me 
from all my fears. 

The ground of this rejoicing, to the typical David, might 
be his deliverance from his enemies ; to the true David, it 
was his rescue from the powers of darkness ; to the believ- 
ing soul, it is her salvation from sin ; and to the body, it 
will be redemption from the grave. Then the Lord will 
deliver us " from all our fears;" and this he will do, if we 
"seek" him, in his scriptures and his ordinances. 

5. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their 
faces were not ashamed. 

Faith is the eye, sin the blindness, and Christ the light 
of the soul. The blindness must be removed, and the eye 
must be directed to the light, which will then illuminate 
the whole man, and guide him in the way of salvation. 
He who thus looketh unto the Sun of Righteousness, for 
light and direction, shall never be confounded. 

6. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and 
saved him out of all his troubles. 

David, when he escaped from his enemies, might be 
" poor," and destitute. But he was emphatically " the poor 
man," who became so for our sakes ; who not only pos- 
sessed nothing, but desired nothing, in this world. He 
"cried, and Jehovah heard him, and delivered him out of 
all his troubles ; " as he will hear and deliver the " poor in 
spirit," who pray unto him. For — 

7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
that fear him, and delivereth them. 

The divine protection and salvation, vouchsafed to the 
faithful, is here signified, whether we suppose that by " the 
angel of Jehovah," is meant the presence of Christ in the 



DAY VI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



131 



church militant, as of old in the camp of Israel ; or the 
ministration of created spirits to the heirs of salvation, as 
in the case of Elisha. — 2 Kings vi. 17. Let the considera- 
tion of these invisible guardians, who are also spectators 
of our actions, at once restrain us from evil, and incite us 
to good. 

8. O taste and see, that the Lord is good ; blessed is the 
man that trust eth in him. 

David saw and tasted the goodness of Jehovah, when 
delivered from his adversaries ; the Son of David, when 
raised from the dead. Both invite us, by "trusting" in 
God, to behold and experience, in our own persons, the 
mercies and consolations of heaven. 

9. O fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no want 
to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer 
hunger ; but they that seek the Lord shall not want any 
good thing. 

He who seeketh the Lord, shall find him ; and he who 
hath found Him, can want nothing. Faith, hope, charity, 
temperance, purity, patience, and contentment, are the true 
riches; and the lack of them the poverty to be most 
dreaded ; since to a Christian, persecution, loss, sickness, 
nay, death itself, is gain. In the mean time, God is never 
wanting to provide for his servants what he seeth needful 
and best, in matters temporal ; while tyrants and oppressors, 
who are, in the world, what " lions" are in a forest, are 
often, by the just judgment of heaven, reduced to want 
that which they have ravished from others. 

1 1 . Come, ye children, hearken unto me : I will teach you 
the fear of the Lord. 

They, who, by contemplating the advantages described 
above, which attend the fear of the Lord, are become de- 
sirous of obtaining that fear, must hearken to their heavenly 
Father, who, by his prophet, " speaketh unto them as unto 
children," offering to teach them the good and right way. 

12. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many 
days, that he may see good. 

Every Christian professeth to "desire," not only an ani- 
mal, but a spiritual " life; " to love, not an old age in time, 
but an eternal duration ; that he may " see those good 
things " which God hath prepared, not upon earth, but in 
heaven, for them that love him. Let us observe, therefore, 
upon what terms such blessings are offered. 



132 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXIV. 



13. Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speak- 
ing guile. 

The tongue is an instrument of much good, or much evil. 
Life and death are in its power ; he that keepeth it, keep- 
eth his soul ; and he who offendeth not therewith, is a per- 
fect man : it is an unruly member, and the first work of the 
fear of God must be to bridle it, that no profane, unclean, 
slanderous, deceitful, or idle words proceed out of the 
mouth. And, as the heart is to the tongue, what the foun- 
tain is to the stream, that must first be purified. 

14. Depart from evil and do good ; seek peace, and pur- 
sue it. 

Not the tongue only, but the whole man is to be corrected 
and regulated by the fear of God, operating unto repentance 
from dead works, and, through faith, unto obedience of life. 
And he who hath thus obtained peace with God, must ever 
remember to follow peace with men, reconciling his brethren, 
if at variance ; himself, if it be possible, being at variance 
with no one. 

15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his 
ears are open unto their cry. 16. The face of the Lord is 
against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them 
from the earth. 

The righteous may be afflicted, like David, and like a 
greater than David ; and their oppressors, may for a time, 
be triumphant ; but, in the end, the former will be de- 
livered and exalted ; the latter will either cease to be re- 
membered, or they will be remembered with infamy. 

17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and de- 
liver eth them out of all their troubles. 

This great and comforting truth is attested by the history 
of the deliverances of Israel from Egypt, Babylon, &c. of 
Jonah from the whale, of the three children from the flames, 
&c. wrought at the supplications of the respective parties in 
distress: but, above all, by the salvation of the world, 
through the intercession of Jesus Christ. The death of mar- 
tyrs is their deliverance ; and the greatest of all deliverances. 

18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken 
heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 

We are apt to overlook men, in proportion as they are 
humbled beneath us ; God regards them in that proportion. 
Vessels of honour are made of that clay, which is "broken" 
into the smallest parts. 



DAY VI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



133 



19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous : but the 
Lord deliver eth him out of all. 

Afflictions all must suffer; but those of the righteous 
end in victory and glory. What soldier would not cheer- 
fully undergo the hardships of a campaign, upon this con- 
dition ? " In the world," saith the Captain of our salvation, 
" ye shall have tribulation ; but be of good cheer, I have 
overcome the world." — John xvi. 33. 

20. He keepeth all his bones : not one of them is broken. 
It is God who preserveth to man the strength of his 

body which lieth in the bones ; and that vigour of his spirit, 
which consisteth in firm and well-established principles of 
faith and holiness. The bones of the true Paschal Lamb 
continued whole during the passion, and those of the saints 
shall be raised whole at the last day, when the mystical 
body of Christ shall come out of its sufferings, no less per- 
fect and entire, than did the natural. 

21. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the 
righteous shall be desolate. 

The evil of punishment springs from the evil of sin ; and 
no sin works such " desolation," as a malicious " hatred " 
and persecution of the true sons and servants of God. 
Whoso doubts the truth of this, let him only survey and 
consider attentively the desolation of the once highly fa- 
voured nation, for their enmity against the King of Right- 
eousness and his faithful subjects. 

22. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and 
none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. 

The frequent prosperity of the wicked, and the troubles 
of the righteous in this world, strike powerfully upon the 
sense, and are, for that reason, too apt to efface from our 
minds the notices, given us by faith, of that future inver- 
sion of circumstances, which is to take place after death. 
To renew, therefore, the impression of such an interesting 
truth, the redemption of the afflicted righteous is so often 
insisted on in the course of this Psalm. Enable us, O 
Lord, to " walk by faith, and not by sight," until we 
come to thy heavenly kingdom ; where, with all thy saints, 
made perfect through sufferings, we shall " bless and mag- 
nify thee at all times," and thy " praise will continually be 
in our mouth," for evermore. 



134 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXXV. 



SEVENTH DAY — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The prophet in this Psalm, as in the 22d, which it resembles, personating 
Messiah, in his state of humiliation and suffering, I — 3. beseecheth 
Jehovah to interpose in his behalf; 4 — 8. predicteth the confusion of 
his enemies, and, 9, 10. his own triumph; 11 — 16. describeth the 

. malice of his persecutors against him, and his love toward them ; 17 —25. 
repeateth his supplications for deliverance, and enlargeth upon the cruel 
insults he met with ; 26. he again foretelleth the destruction of the ad- 
versary, and, 27, 28. the exultation of the faithful. 

1. Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with 
me : jight against them that fight against me. 

David in his afflictions, Christ in his passion, the Church 
under persecution, and the Christian in the hour of tempta- 
tion, supplicate the Almighty to appear in their behalf, 
and to vindicate their cause. 

2. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine 
help. 3. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against 
them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. 

Jehovah is here described as a "man of war," going 
forth to the battle against the enemies of Messiah and his 
church : the protection afforded by his mercy is figured by 
the shield of the warrior, covering his body from the darts 
of the enemy ; and the vengeance of his uplifted arm is re- 
presented by the offensive weapons used among men, such 
as the spear and the sword. — " If God be for us, who can 
be against us? " If he speaketh salvation, who shall threaten 
destruction? — See Deut. xxxii. 41. Wisdom v. 20. 

4. Let them be confounded, or, they shall be confounded 
and put to shame, that seek after my soul : let them be, or, 
they shall be turned back and brought to confusion, that 
devise my hurt. 

The consequence of the Omnipotent appearing in arms 
against his adversaries is here foretold. And the prediction 
has long since been verified in the "confusion" of Saul, and 
of the Jews, as it will be finally fulfilled in that of Satan and 
all his adherents, at the last day ; for the manifestation of 
which day, the church now waiteth in faith and patience. 



DAY VII. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



135 



5. Let them be, or, they shall be as chaff before the wind: 
and let the angel of the Lord, or, the angel of the Lord shall 
chase them. 

The Jews, separated from the church and people of 
Christ, become useless and unprofitable to any good work, 
possessing only the empty ceremonies and husks of their 
religion, and by the breath of the divine displeasure dis- 
persed over the face of the earth, afford a striking com- 
ment on this verse, and as striking an admonition to every 
opposer of the holy Jesus. — See Ps. i. 4. 

6. Let their way, or, their way shall be dark and slippery, 
and let the angel of the Lord, or, the angel of the Lord shall 
persecute them. 

A traveller, benighted in a bad road, is an expressive 
emblem of a sinner walking in the slippery and dangerous 
ways of temptation, without knowledge to direct his steps, 
to show him his danger, or to extricate him from it ; while 
an enemy is in pursuit of him, whom he can neither resist 
nor avoid. Deliver us, O Lord, from all blindness, but 
above all, from that which is judicial ! 

7. For without cause have they hid for me their net in 
a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. 
8. Let destruction, or, destruction shall come upon him at 
unawares, and let his net that he hath hid, or, his net that 
he hath hid shall catch himself: into that very destruction 
let him, or, he shall fall. 

The causeless persecution raised against David by Saul, 
and against our Lord by the Jews, reverted, through the 
righteous judgment of God, on the heads of the persecutors. 
The innocent birds escaped ; and they who set the toils, 
were themselves taken therein. Saul lost the kingdom 
which he thought to have secured, and his life also ; and 
the Jews who crucified Christ, lest " the Romans should 
take away their place and nation," had their place and na- 
tion taken away by those Romans, for that very reason. 
In these histories, all impenitent persecutors of the faith, 
the church, and the servants of God, may read their doom. 

9. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord ; it shall re- 
joice in his salvation. 10. All my bones shall say, Lord, 
who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that 
is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him 
that spoileth him ? 



136 A COMMENTARY [PS. XXXV. 

These verses, as they describe the joy which the soul and 
body of Christ were to experience after the resurrection, 
so shall they one day be sung by the mystical body of the 
Lord, when delivered from the power of the spoiler, and 
raised entire from the dust. In the mean time, they may 
express our gratitude for any temporal preservation from 
enemies, from sad casualties, and dangerous temptations. 

11. False witnesses did rise up ; they laid to my charge, 
Heb. asked me things that I knew not. 12, They rewarded 
me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul. 

This was never more literally true of David, than it was 
of the holy Jesus, when, standing before Pontius Pilate, he 
received no other return from the Jews, for all the gracious 
words which he had spoken, and all the merciful works 
which he had done among them, than that of being slan- 
dered, and put to death. 

13. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was 
sackcloth : I humbled, or, afflicted my soul with fasting, and 
my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 

If David prayed, fasting in sackcloth, for Saul and his 
associates, the Son of David, to heal the souls of men, put 
on the veil of mortal flesh, and appeared in the form and 
habit of a penitent, fasting forty days and forty nights, 
making continual intercession for transgressors, and griev- 
ing to think that any men, by their obstinacy, should de- 
prive themselves of the benefits thereof. 

14. / behaved myself, Heb. / walked as though it had 
been my friend, or brother ; I bowed down heavily, as one 
that mourneth for his mother, or, as a mother that mourneth. 

He who so passionately lamented the natural death of 
Saul, doubtless bewailed greatly his spiritual death of sin ; 
and he who took a comprehensive view of the sins and sor- 
rows of Jerusalem, wept over that wretched city with the 
tender affection of a "friend," a " brother," and a " mother 
— O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have ga- 
thered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her 
chickens under her wings ! " 

15. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered 
themselves together; yea, the objects, or, smiters gathered 
themselves together against me, and I knew it not ; they did 
tear me, and ceased not. 

When the blessed Jesus was suffering for the sins of men, 



DAY VII. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



137 



he was insulted by those men for whose sins he suffered. 
He gave not only his reputation to the revilers, but also 
his back to the "smiters," though not conscious of the 
crimes for which they pretended to punish him. 

16. With hypocritical mockers in feasts, or, among t lie pro- 
fligates the makers of mock gnashed upon me with their teeth. 

However this might be true in the case of David, it cer- 
tainly had a literal accomplishment in the scoffs and taunts 
of the chief priests and others, when Christ was hanging on 
the cross — " Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, &c. He 
trusted in God, Sec. Let him come down from the cross," 
&c, <Scc. &c. Nay, one of the thieves, crucified with him, 
"cast the same in his teeth." Whosoever considers these 
things, will not be surprised at the expostulation in the 
following verse. 

17. Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul 
from their destructions, my darling from the lions. 

Christ prayeth, like David of old, for the manifestation of 
the promised mercy ; for the deliverance of the nature which 
he had assumed, and which he delighted in. Who does not 
behold in him, surrounded by his enraged and implacable 
enemies, a second Daniel, praying in the den of " lions," 

IS. I icill give thee thanks, in the great congregation ; I 
will praise thee among much people, or, the strong people. 

This verse is exactly parallel to Ps. xxii. 25. wherein, 
after an enumeration of his sufferings, our Lord predicteth 
the praise and glory that should accrue to God in the church, 
after his resurrection, from the preaching of the apostles ; 
which passage see, and compare ; as also Isa. xxv. 3. and 
Rev. vii. 9. 

19. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice 
over me : neither let them wink with the eye, that hate me 
without a cause. 

The prophet, in the person of Christ, returneth again to 
make supplication that an end may be put to the insults, 
the scoffs, and the sneers of the reprobate. O come that 
day, when they shall cease for evermore ! 

20. For they speak not peace, but they devise deceitful 
matters against them that are quiet in the land. 21. Yea, 
they ope/ied their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, 
aha, our eye hath seen it. 

David would have lived "quietly" under the government 



138 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXXV. 



of Saul : our Lord did not aim at temporal sovereignty 
over the Jews ; nor did the primitive Christians desire to 
intermeddle with the politics of the world; yet all were 
betrayed, mocked, and persecuted, as rebels, and usurpers, 
and the pests of society. 

22. This thou hast seen, O Lord, keep not silence; O 
Lord, be not far from me. 23. Stir up thyself and awake 
to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God, and my 
Lord. 24. Judge me, O Lord, my God, according to thy 
righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me. 

God " seeth" and knoweth all things ; yet he permitteth 
those, who love him best, to be often and long afflicted and 
oppressed, seeming as one at a "distance," or "silent," or 
"asleep," that is, regardless of what passes. At such 
times, we are not to remit, but to double our diligence in 
prayer, reiterating our cries — "Lord, save us! we perish!" 
Then will he "awake and arise, and rebuke the winds and 
the seas, and there shall be a calm." 

25. Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we 
have it : let them not say, We have swallowed him up. 

Messiah prayeth for an end of his sufferings ; that the 
enemies of mankind might not triumph in his destruction ; 
that death might not finally "swallow him up," but be 
itself " swallowed up in victory." The church daily maketh 
the same request. 

26. Let them, or, they shall be ashamed and brought to 
confusion together, that rejoice at mine hurt ; let them, or, 
they shall be clothed with shame and dishonour that mag- 
nify themselves against me. 

The accomplishment of this prediction, by the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus, and the destruction of Jerusalem, is well 
known. There are two events to come, parallel to those 
two which are past, viz. the resurrection of the faithful, 
and the destruction of the world ; when all who, like the 
Jews, have "rejoiced in the hurt" of Messiah, and have 
"magnified themselves against him," will, like the Jews, 
be covered with everlasting " confusion." 

27. Let them, or, they shall shout for joy, and be glad that 
favour my righteous cause : yea, let them, or, they shall say 
continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure 
in the prosperity of his servant. 28. And my tongue shall 
speak of thy righteousness, and of thy praise, all the day long. 



DA Y VII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



139 



As the preceding verse foretold the sorrow of the enemies, 
so these two describe the joy of the friends to Messiah, 
upon his victory and exaltation, which have been, and shall 
continue to be, celebrated by the church, in these divine 
hymns, indited by the Holy Spirit for that purpose, until 
the songs of time shall end in the hallelujahs of eternity. 



PSALM XXXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

In the four first verses of this Psalm, the prophet describeth the principles, 
the actions, the conversation, and the imaginations of his wicked per- 
secutors ; and from thence raising his thoughts to heaven, 5 — 9. cele- 
brateth the mercy and loving-kindness of Jehovah ; for a continuation 
of which to himself and the church, he fervently prayeth ; 10, 11, and, 
12. foreseeth the downfall of the ungodly. 

1. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, 
that there is no fear of God before his eyes. 

If the present reading in the original be the true one, the 
meaning must be this — The transgressions of a bad man 
show plainly, in the apprehension of a good one, that the 
former is destitute of a true fear of God. Bishop Lowth, 
by a slight alteration or two in the text, renders to it this 
effect — " The wicked man, according to the wickedness in 
his heart, saith, There is no fear of God before mine eyes." # 
The great truth which the prophet here declareth himself to 
be convinced of, is, that all wickedness proceedeth from the 
absence of "the fear of God," in the person who committeth 
it ; that fear being a principle, which, while it is predomi- 
nant in the man, will restrain him from transgression. Our 
laws suppose as much, when, in the form of indicting a 
criminal, they attribute the commission of the offence to 
his " not having the fear of God before his eyes." 

2. For he flatter eth himself in his own eyes, until his 
iniquity be found to be hateful : or, when his sin is ready to 
be found out, and to be hated. 

He who hath lost "the fear of God," is first led into sin, 
and then detained in it ; because, having forgotten the great 
witness and judge of his actions, he vainly thinks his crimes 
* See Merrick's Annotations. 



140 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXXVI. 



may be concealed, or disguised ; till a discovery breaks 
the charm, and disperses the delusion. The last day will 
show strange instances of this folly. 

3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit : he 
hath left off to be wise, and to do good ; or, to understand, 
that he may do good. 

If the fear of God be not in the heart, " iniquity and 
deceit " will be under the tongue : and then an apostasy 
from wisdom and goodness, or the wisdom of goodness, 
which is the only true wisdom, cannot be far off. 

4. Tie deviseth mischief upon his bed, he setteth himself in 
a way that is not good : he abhorreth not evil. 

From the actions and the words of him who hath not the 
fear of God before his eyes, the prophet goeth back to the 
thoughts and imaginations of his heart, which, even in retire- 
ment and solitude, are busily employed upon evil, as those 
of the righteous are, at those seasons, upon God and good- 
ness. A man may know the state of his mind, in some mea- 
sure, from his morning and evening thoughts " upon his 
bed." He who doth not give diligence to "set himself in 
a good way," will soon be set in one that is not good; and 
he who doth not " abhor " sin, will, ere long, delight in it. 

5. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens : and thy faith- 
fulness reacheth unto the clouds, or, skies. 6. Thy righte- 
ousness is like the great mountains : thy judgments are a 
great deep. 

From the wickedness of the world, in which we live, we 
must lift up our eyes, for help and comfort, to the mercy 
and truth of God, boundless, pure, and beneficial, as the 
heavens over our heads ; to his righteousness, fixed and 
permanent, as the everlasting hills ; and to his judgments, 
stupendous and unfathomable, as the waters of the great 
deep. Truth will engage mercy to accomplish the pro- 
mised salvation of the elect ; and righteousness will employ 
judgment in executing upon the reprobate the vengeance 
that is due. 

7, O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excel 
lent is thy loving-kindness, O God ! therefore the children 
of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 

The good providence of God extendeth over all creatures, 
nourishing and preserving them, as well as man, for whose 
use they were made. We can never enough value and 



DAY VII. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



141 



extol the " loving-kindness " of him, whose overshadowing 
" wings " protect and cherish us on earth, in order to bear us 
from thence to heaven. — See Matt, xxiii. 37. Deut. xxxii. 11. 

8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of 
thy house ; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of 
thy pleasures. 

In heaven alone the thirst of an immortal soul after 
happiness can be satisfied. There the streams of Eden 
will flow again. They who drink of them shall forget 
their earthly poverty, and remember the miseries of the 
world no more. Some drops from the celestial cup are 
sufficient, for a time, to make us forget our sorrows, even 
while we are in the midst of them. What, then, may we 
not expect from full draughts of those pleasures which are 
at thy right hand, O Lord, for evermore ? 

9. For with thee is the fountain of life ; in thy light we 
shall see light. 

The rivers before mentioned flow from a "fountain," 
which fetcheth not supplies from without, but whose spring- 
is within itself, and therefore can never be exhausted. 
The " water of life " proceeds from " the throne of God 
and the Lamb." — Rev. xxii. 1. "This is life eternal, to 
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou 
hast sent." — John xvii. 3. God, like the sun, cannot be 
seen, but by the light which himself emits. 

10. O continue thy loving-kindness unto them that knoiv 
thee ; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. 

The prophet, groaning under the oppression of the 
wicked, who are described in the first part of the Psalm, 
prayeth for a continuation of the mercies of God, which he 
has celebrated in the second part. Give us, O God, the 
knowledge of thee, and make us upright in heart, that thy 
loving-kindness and thy righteousness may be our portion 
for ever. 

11. Let not the foot of pride come against me ; and let not 
the hand of the wicked remove me. 

The Christian has reason enough to join with the prophet 
in this petition, whether we suppose it to deprecate de- 
struction from proud men and sinners, without us, or from 
pride and sin, within us. 

12. There are the workers of iniquity fallen : they are 
cast down, and shall not be able to rise. 



142 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXVII. 



Faith calleth things that be not, as though they were ; 
it carries us forward to the end of time ; it shows us the 
Lord sitting on his throne of judgment : the righteous 
caught up to meet him in the air ; the world in flames under 
his feet ; and the empire of sin fallen, to rise no more. 



SEVENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXXVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

From the beginning to the end of this Psalm, the Holy Spirit, by the 
prophet, administereth advice and consolation to the church and people 
of the Lord, oppressed and afflicted in the world, by prosperous and 
triumphant wickedness. Faith and patience are therefore recom- 
mended upon the double consideration of that sure reward which 
awaiteth the righteous, and that certain punishment which shall be 
inflicted on the wicked. These two events are set before us in a variety 
of expressions, and under many lively and affecting images. As the 
Psalm is rather a collection of divine aphorisms on the same subject, 
than a continued and connected discourse, it admitteth of nothing far- 
ther in the way of argument. 

1. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou 
envious against the workers of iniquity. 2. For they shall 
soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 

The Holy Spirit here prescribeth a remedy to a very 
common, and no less dangerous disorder of the mind, 
namely, a distrust of God^ providence, occasioned by 
frequently beholding the prosperity of the wicked, in this 
present world. He who alloweth himself time to consider 
how soon the fairest spring must give place to a burning 
summer, a blighting autumn, and a killing winter, will no 
longer envy, but pity the fading verdure of the grass, and 
the still more transient glories of the flowers of the field. 
Herbs and plants are medicinal, in more senses than one.* 

3. Trust in the Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in 
the land, and verily thou shalt be fed: or, dwell in the land, 
and feed on truth, or, faithfulness. 

* See an elegant and beautiful Discourse on " The Lilies of the Field/' 
published among the Sermons of the late learned, ingenious, and worthy 
Dr. Tottie. 



DAY VII. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



143 



The consideration of the speedy and tragical end of sin- 
ners affordeth a powerful argument for perseverance in 
faith and holiness ; for continuing in the church, and 
making our abode in the pastures of truth ; until, in the 
strength of that sacred viand, we come to the heavenly 
land of promise, and dwell therein for ever. 

4. Delight thyself also in the Lord : and he shall give 
thee the desires of thine heart. 

He who delighteth in the creature, hath not always " the 
desires of his heart" granted, nor is it fit that he should 
have them ; but he who delighteth in God, will desire 
what he delighteth in, and obtain what he desireth. 

5. Commit thy way unto the Lord : trust also in him, and 
he shall biding it to pass. 6. And he shall bring forth thy 
righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day. 

Malice and calumny may, for a time, overshadow the 
splendour of an holy character ; but the sun will come 
forth, and the clouds will fly away. This was most emi- 
nently true of the blessed Jesus, at his resurrection, and 
will be verified in his saints, at the last day. The history 
of Susannah affordeth a remarkable instance of it, in this 
life. " Her heart trusted in the Lord, and he brought forth 
her righteousness as the light ; insomuch that all the as- 
sembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised God, who 
saveth them that trust in him." — Ver. 35. 60. 

7. Rest in, or, be silent to the Lord, and wait patiently for 
him ; fret not thyself because of him who prosper eth in the 
way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 

If the spotless Lamb of God was dumb, before those who 
were divesting him of his honours, and robbing him of his 
life, " silent " resignation cannot but become one who suf- 
fers for his sins. Israel was commanded to " stand still, 
and see the salvation of God;" but the people gazed upon 
the pomp and power of Pharaoh, who was in pursuit of 
them, till their faith failed, and they began to murmur and 
despond. How often is this our case, before we perceive it ! 

8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath ; fret not thyself 
in any wise to do evil. 9. For evil doers shall be cut off; but 
those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 

At the day of judgment, when " evil doers shall be cut 
off" by the naming sword of eternal vengeance, and when 
the saints of the Most High shall " inherit the new earth," 



144 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXVII'. 



the latter will have no emotions of anger or envy against 
the former. Let them so meditate on that day, as to make 
it present to their minds, and they will have no such 
emotions now. 

10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be ; yea, 
thou shalt diligently consider his 'place, and it shall not be. 

The whole duration of the world itself is but " a little 
while " in the sight of him whose hope is full of immor- 
tality. But the calamities and deaths of princes ; the 
tragical fate of empires, swept with the besom of destruc- 
tion ; the overthrow of cities, whose dimensions, towers, 
and palaces once astonished the earth, but whose " place " 
is now no where to be found by the most curious and dili- 
gent enquirer ; and the desolations of the chosen city 
Jerusalem ; all these are even now sufficient to draw forth 
the tear of commiseration, and to extinguish the kindling 
spark of envy in every considerate mind. 

11; But the meek shall inherit the earth: and shall de- 
light themselves in the abundance of peace. 

The "meek " are they who bear their own adversities, and 
the prosperity of their enemies, without envy, anger, or com- 
plaint. For these there is a possession in the kingdom and 
city of the Prince of "Peace," which " the Lord the right- 
eous Judge shall give them at that day. Blessed are the 
meek," saith that Lord and Judge himself, " for they shall 
inherit the earth." — Matt. v. 5. " In the mean time, they, 
and they only, possess the present earth, as they go toward 
the kingdom of heaven, by being humble, and cheerful, and 
content with what their good God has allotted them. They 
have no turbulent, repining, vexatious thoughts that they 
deserve better; nor are vexed, when they see others pos- 
sessed of more honour, or more riches, than their wise God 
has allotted for their share. But they possess what they 
have with a meek and contented quietness ; such a quiet- 
ness as makes their very dreams pleasing, both to God and 
themselves." — Walton's Complete Angler, p. 295. 

12. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth 
upon him with his teeth. 13. The Lord shall laugh at him, 
for he seeth that his day is coming. 

The original enmity between the Wicked One and the 
Just One, will always subsist between the wicked and the 
just. The rage of the former against the latter is compared 



DAY VII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



145 



to that of mad dogs, or wild beasts ; but a day is coming, 
when all that rage must be turned and employed against 
themselves. God, who knoweth this, contemneth their 
vain efforts ; and Christians, who know it, and are under 
the protection of God, should do the same. 

14. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent 
their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such 
as be of upright conversation, or, upright of way, 15. Their 
sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bow shall 
be broken. 

The tongue is a " sword," and a " bow," which shooteth 
its arrows, even bitter words, against the humble and 
upright Jesus and his disciples. But these are not the 
only weapons that have been drawn against them. How 
the malice of the Jews returned upon their own heads, no 
one is ignorant ; though few lay it to heart, and consider 
them as set forth for an example. 

16. J. little that a righteous man hath, is better than the 
riches of many wicked. 17. For the arms of the wicked 
shall be broken : but the Lord upholdeth the righteous. 

A little, with the blessing of God upon it, is better than 
a great deal, with the incumbrance of his curse. His 
blessing can multiply a mite into a talent, but his curse 
will shrink a talent to a mite. By him the " arms of the 
wicked are broken," and by him " the righteous are 
upholden;"so that the great question is, whether He be 
with us, or against us ; and the great misfortune is, that 
this question is seldom asked. 

18. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright ; and their 
inheritance shall be for ever. 1 9. They shall not be ashamed 
in the evil time : and in the days of famine they shall be 
satisfied. 

The favour of God is, to them that obtain it, a better and 
an enduring substance, which, like the widow's barrel and 
cruse, wasted not in the evil days of famine, nor will fail 
in that evil day of eternal want, when the foolish virgins 
shall be calling in vain for oil, and the rich glutton as 
vainly imploring a drop of water to cool his tongue. 

20. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the 
Lord shall be as the fat of lambs, they shall consume : into 
smoke shall they consume away. 

The destruction of the wicked is here again set before us, 

L 



146 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXVII. 



but under a different image, namely, that of a sacrifice. 
Senseless, as cattle that are fatted for the altar, they wanton 
in their prosperity, and nourish their hearts against the day 
of slaughter. In the mean time, the Almighty is whetting 
that sword, which nothing can withstand ; and those fires 
are kindling, which shall never be extinguished. — See Isa. 
xxxiv. 6 — 10. 

21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again ; but the 
righteous sheweth mercy and giveth. 

The wicked man, like his leader, the "wicked one," 
payeth not those, whose money or abilities he hath occasion 
to borrow, and to employ in his service ; whereas the disciple 
of Christ, in imitation of his Master, not only punctually 
observeth the rules of justice and equity, but thinketh it 
"more blessed to give than to receive." In like manner, 
though both are indebted for every thing, to the bounty of 
God, the latter maketh all the acknowledgments and returns 
in his power; while the former never thinketh of making any. 

22. For, or, therefore such as be blessed of him shall inherit 
the earth : and they that be cursed of him, shall be cut off. 

They who are like their merciful and gracious Lord, and 
who, by their devotion and charity, bless him, are blessed 
of him ; they who are like their cruel and iniquitous master, 
and who, by their ungodliness, injustice, and hardhearted- 
ness, dishonour their Maker and Redeemer, are cursed of 
him. To the former, therefore, it will be said, at the last 
day — "Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom;" to the 
latter — "Go, ye cursed, into the fire." 

23. The steps of a good man are ordered, Heb. established 
by the Lord ; and he delightethin his way. 24. Though he 
fall, he shall not be utterly cast down : for the Lord uphold- 
eth him with his hand. 

This was emphatically true of the man Christ, whose 
steps Jehovah established, and in whose way he delighted ; 
who, " though he fell" by death, yet was raised again by 
his mighty hand and outstretched arm. It is true likewise 
of Christians, whom it should support and comfort, in all 
dangers and temptations. — See, for a parallel, Ps. xci. 

25. / have been young, and now am old : yet have I not 
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. 
26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth : and his seed is blessed. 

So far is charity from impoverishing, that what is given 



DAY VII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



147 



away, like vapours emitted by the earth, returns in showers 
of blessings into the bosom of the person who gave it ; and 
his offspring is not the worse, but infinitely the better 
for it.— " The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that 
watereth shall be watered also himself."- -Prov. xi. 25. 
The bread which endureth, as well as that which perisheth, 
is his ; and the blessings of time are crowned with those 
of eternity. 

27. Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for ever- 
more. 28. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh 
not his saints ; they are preserved for ever : but the seed of 
the wicked shall be cut off. 29. The righteous shall inherit 
the land, and dwell therein for ever. 

The justice and mercy of God, the rewards which await 
the righteous, and the punishments that will, sooner or 
later, be inflicted on the wicked, are subjects on which who- 
ever shall frequently meditate, " will depart from evil, and 
do good. Whatsoever thou takest in hand," saith the wise 
son of Sirach, " remember the end, and thou shalt never 
do amiss." — Ecclus. vii. 36. 

30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his 
tongue talketh of judgment. 31. The law of his God is in 
his heart ; none of his steps shall slide. 

The word which is here, as in other places innumerable, 
translated " the righteous," is in the singular number, and 
might, therefore, be translated " the Righteous One," or, 
" the Just One," for it is often designed to point him out to 
us, who is emphatically so styled ; whose " mouth " always 
spake "wisdom," in whose "heart was the law of God," 
and whose "steps" never declined to evil. Lord, put thy 
laws into our hearts, that, out of the abundance of the 
heart, the mouth may speak ; and, as the mouth speaks, 
the hands may act, and the feet may walk. 

32. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to 
slay him. 33. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, 
nor condemn him when he is judged. 

The Jews " watched" that " Just One," daily and hourly; 
they " sought to slay him," and did so ; but " Jehovah left 
him not in their hands," but vindicatea his innocence, by 
raising him from the dead. And the day is coming, when 
he who hath stood tamely at the bar of men, and hath 
suffered for truth and righteousness, shall be advanced to 

l 2 



148 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXVII. 



a throne among the saints and martyrs, to assist at the 
trial of his once insulting judges. 

34. Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall 
exalt thee to inherit the land ; when the wicked are cut off, 
thou shalt see it. 

The apostle, writing to the Hebrew converts under afflic- 
tion and persecution, thus expresseth the sentiment con- 
tained in this verse. — " Cast not away your confidence, 
which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need 
of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye 
might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he 
that shall come, will come, and will not tarry." — Heb. x. 35. 

35. / have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading 
himself like a green bay tree, or, a native tree, which has 
grown from the seed without transplantation, in the same 
spot. 36. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not ; yea, I 
sought him, but he could not be found. 

The great Babylonian monarch had his own exaltation, 
and subsequent degradation pourtrayed to him in a vision, 
under this very image, which conveyeth to the mind a most 
striking and affecting idea of the rise and fall of men and 
empires, which have no existence, but in history. — " I 
saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the 
height thereof was great. The tree grew and was strong, 
and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight 
thereof to the end of the earth. The leaves thereof were 
fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all ; 
the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of 
the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed 
of it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and 
behold a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven. 
He cried aloud, and said thus : Hew down the tree, and cut 
off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit ; 
let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from 
his branches." — Dan. iv. 10, 11, &c. See the prophet's 
exposition, 20, 21, &c. and what is said above, on ver. 10. 
of this Psalm. 

37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright : for 
the end ofih&t man is peace. 38. But the transgressors shall 
be destroyed together ; the end of the wicked shall be cut off. 

After taking a view of those short-lived honours, which 
the world setteth upon the heads of its most favoured vota- 



DAY mi. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



149 



ries, let us turn our eyes to " the perfect and Upright One 
let us behold the permanent greatness and the unfading 
glory of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the para- 
dise of God ; whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, 
and whose fruit is the fruit of " peace." 

39. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he 
is their strength in the time of trouble, 40. And the Lord 
shall help them, and deliver them; he shall deliver them from 
the wicked, and save them because they put their trust in him. 

Of thee, O Lord Jesu, is our salvation : be thou our 
strength in this mortal life, which is a time of trouble ; 
help us against our spiritual enemies, and deliver us from 
them ; deliver us from the wicked one, and from all evil ; 
and save us from the guilt and punishment thereof; 
because we put our trust in thee, and in thee alone. 



EIGHTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XXXVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, which is the third of those styled Penitential, the sinner 
ver. 1. prayeth to be chastened only, and not destroyed; 2 — 10, 
describeth the state of his soul under various images, chiefly borrowed 
from bodily diseases and pains; 11, 12. complaineth of his friends for- 
saking, and his enemies persecuting him; but, 13 — 15. continueth 
patient and resigned, committing his cause to God, whom, 16 — 22. he 
beseecheth to help him, on his confession and repentance. As our Lord 
took upon him the guilt, and suffered the punishment of sin ; as there 
are some passages in the latter part of the Psalm, literally predictive of 
his passion, and so understood by the best ancient expositors ; and 
as the sinner should be led by his own sorrows to reflect on those of his 
Redeemer; the meditations of the reader are therefore, under each 
particular, directed, by the ensuing comment, into that channel. 

1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chasten 
me in thy hot displeasure. 

The petition here preferred, as in the sixth Psalm, is, 
that Jehovah would not condemn, as a judge, but chasten, 
as a father, for the amendment and preservation of the 
offender. The same prayer, which we sinners make for 
ourselves, Christ, who bore our sins, once made for us. 



150 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXVIII. 



2. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand 
presseth me sore. 

The "arrows," and the "hand" of God, are his judg- 
ments on sin; those external pangs and terrors which pierce 
the soul, and those external afflictions and calamities which 
sink and weigh down the spirits. The holy Jesus, at the 
time of his passion, received these arrows, and sustained 
this weight, for the sins of the whole world. 

3. There is no soundness in my flesh, because of thine 
anger ; neither is there any rest, or, peace, or, health, in 
my bones, because of my sin. 

The expressions in this verse are applicable to the dis- 
orders and diseases which sin hath introduced both into 
the soul and into the body, as the terms, "health" and "sick- 
ness," are in scripture no less frequently employed to describe 
the state of the former, than that of the latter. If a single 
sinner thus complaineth of his grief and pain, what must 
have been the agony and passion of him who suffered for all, 
mercifully and lovingly submitted to be "made sin for us ? " 

4. For mine iniquities are gone over my head ; as an 
heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 

Sins and sorrows are here, as in many other places, 
represented under the image of mighty waters rolling 
incessantly over the head of the person sunk into them, 
and by their accumulated weight depressing him, so that 
he can no more rise above them. Let us meditate on that 
deep and tempestuous ocean, into which we were the means 
of plunging the innocent Jesus. 

5. My wounds stink and are corrupt, through my foolishness. 
Sin is the wound of the soul, which must be washed 

with the tears of repentance, cleansed by the blood of 
Christ, and healed by the Spirit of the Holy One. It 
requires great care and attention, until the cure be com- 
pleted. Otherwise, mortification and death ensue, as in 
the case of outward wounds, if neglected, or ill managed. 
— See Isa. i. 6. Luke x. 34. All the sores and pains of 
the body mystical are lamented by him who is the head of 
that body, and who felt the sad effects of these corruptions 
of our nature in the day of his sufferings. 

6. / am troubled, Heb. writhed, or, distorted, I am 
bowed down greatly ; I go mourning all the day long. 

As the body by pain, so the soul by guilt, is " distorted" 



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151 



from its original uprightness; it is "bowed down" to the 
earth, through shame and fear, being no longer able to look 
up toward heaven, with its accustomed holy confidence ; 
and instead of rejoicing in a good conscience, and the hope 
of glory, sorrow is its portion, and grief its familiar ac- 
quaintance. And what wonder, that we should be humbled 
and afflicted for our own sins, when the Son of God was 
so humbled and afflicted for sins not his own ? 

7. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease, or, 
inflammation ; and there is no soundness in my flesh. 

The "disease," or "inflammation," complained of, in these 
metaphorical terms, seems to be the distemperature of our 
fallen nature, whereby it cometh to pass, that " the flesh 
lusteth against the spirit;" it is that "other law in our 
members, warring against the law in our minds, bringing us 
into captivity to the law of sin," and forcing every son of 
Adam to cry — " O wretched man that I am, who shall 
deliver me from this body of death?" Happy is it for us, 
that we are enabled to go on with the apostle, and to 
" thank God," that we are delivered, " through Jesus Christ 
our Lord," on whom were " laid the iniquities of us all." 

8. / am feeble and sore broken : I have roared by reason 
of the disquietness of my heart. 

The vigour of a man is broken in pieces, and wasted 
away, by pain and the disquietude from thence arising, 
which cause piercing cries, and loud lamentations. When 
sin in the soul is felt like sickness in the body, it will pro- 
duce effects in some degree similar. Let us reflect on the 
sufferings, the cries, and the tears of our Redeemer. 

9. Lord, all my desire is before thee : and my groaning 
is not hid from thee. 

The "desires" and "groans" of the penitent are known 
to God, and marked down in his book ; and there is no small 
comfort in thinking and acknowledging that they are so ; 
but much more comfort is there in the remembrance of those 
inconceivable "desires," and those unutterable "groanings," 
which the holy Jesus poured forth for us in the days of his 
flesh, and which prevail for the acceptance of our own. 

10. My heart panteth, my strength hath failed me, for 
the light of mine eyes, it is gone from me. 

In bodily sickness, these are three symptoms of approach- 
ing dissolution ; and the soul is in great extremity, when 



152 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXVIII. 



the three corresponding symptoms appear upon her; namely, 
when she hath neither resolution to will, power to perform, 
nor knowledge to discern the things that belong unto her 
health and peace. 

11. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore, 
or, plague, or, affliction, and my kinsmen, or, my neighbours 
stand afar off. 

A body afflicted with a noisome distemper, and a soul 
troubled on account of sin, find but few friends who have 
charity enough to stay with, and to minister to them. Let 
us not be surprised or offended at this, when we see the 
righteous Jesus, at his passion, destitute and forsaken by 
all ; as it is written : — " Then all the disciples forsook him, 
and fled. — Matt. xxvi. 56. and all his acquaintance, and the 
women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off be- 
holding these things." — Luke xxiii. 49. 

12. They also that seek after my life, lay snares for me : 
and they that seek my hurt, speak mischievous things, and 
imagine deceits all the day long. 13. But I, as a deaf man, 
heard not ; and I was as a dumb man, that openeth not his 
mouth. 14. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in 
whose mouth are no reproofs, or, altercations. 

These verses describe and recommend to our imitation 
the behaviour of David, and of a greater than David, when 
under persecution ; the former from Absalom, Ahitophel, 
Shimei, &c. the latter from the chief priests and elders, 
Judas and the Jews. 

15. For in thee, O Lord, do I hope, or, thee do I wait 
for ; thou wilt hear, or, answer, O Lord, my God. 

This verse assigns the reason why the ill usage, which 
we receive at the hands of men, should be borne with 
patience and resignation ; namely, because, as it is not 
without the permission, so neither will it be without the 
notice of the Almighty, who will one day take the matter 
into his own hands. Christ, saith St. Peter, " who did no 
sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, yet when he was 
reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened 
not ; but committed himself to him that judgeth right- 
eously." — 1 Pet. ik 21. 

16. For L said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should 
rejoice over me : when my foot slippeth, they magnify them- 
selves against me. 



DAY VIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



153 



As the glory of God may be said, in some measure, to 
depend on the behaviour and fate of his servants ; on that 
account, besides the stings of conscience, temporal punish- 
ments, and the danger of eternal torments, good men 
should ever have before their eyes the dishonour which is 
brought on the name of God, and the stop which is put to 
the progress of his gospel, by the fall of any eminently right- 
eous and holy person into sin. 

17. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually 
before me. 18. For I will declare mine iniquity : I will be 
sorry for my sin. 

The surest way to have our weakness strengthened, and 
our sin forgiven, is to acknowledge and confess both ; and 
this we need not be ashamed to do, when we consider, that 
he, who is the Lord, strong and mighty, took our infirmi- 
ties ; and the King of Righteousness bare our sins, in his 
own body, on the tree. 

19. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong, and 
they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. 20. They also 
that lender evil for good are mine adversaries : because I 
follow the thing that good is. 

These words, joined with the preceding, are applicable to 
the distress of David, and the prosperity of his adversaries ; 
to the sufferings of Christ, and the triumph of the Jews ; 
to the afflictions of the church, and the gaiety of the world ; 
to the weakness of faith, and the strength of nature. The 
result of all is this, that salvation cometh of God only, and 
is to be implored in the following words, which conclude 
the Psalm : — 

21. Forsake me not, O Lord ; O my God, be not far 
from me. 22. Make haste to help me, O Lord God of my 
salvation. 



154 A COMMENTARY [ps. XXXIX. 



PSALM XXXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Prophet, in a state of distress and persecution, determineth, 1 — 3. to 
be watchful and silent, as our blessed Lord also was, before his enemies. 
4. He prayeth for a due sense of the shortness of human life ; and after 
meditating, 5, 6. on that subject, fixeth all his faith and hope in God ; 
7. whom he entreateth, but with submission to his will, 8 — 10. for re- 
mission of sin, and alleviation of misery. 1 1 . From a view of the human 
body wearing away by sickness, he breaketh out, 12, 13. into a most 
fervent and affectionate prayer, which ought to be continually in the 
mouth of the Christian, upon earth. — This Psalm is with the utmost 
propriety appointed by the church to be used at the burial of the dead, 
as a funeral is indeed the best comment upon it. 

1. / said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not 
with my tongue : I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while 
the wicked is before me. 

This Psalm begins abruptly with the result of a medita- 
tion on the narrow, slippery, and dangerous paths of life ; 
and more especially, on the extreme difficulty of restraining 
the tongue, amidst the continual temptations and provoca- 
tions of the adversary. In these circumstances, u watch- 
fulness" and " silence" are resolved on, as the only means 
of security. Let us behold the Lamb of God, as our great 
pattern and example herein. 

2. / was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from 
good, and my sorrow was stirred. 

There is a time to keep silence, because there are men 
who will not hear ; there are tempers, savage and sensual, 
as those of swine, before whom evangelical pearls, or the 
treasures of heavenly wisdom, are not to be cast. This 
consideration stirreth up fresh grief and trouble, in a pious 
and a charitable heart. How much more must it have 
done so, in the soul of him, who lived and died only for 
the salvation of sinners ! 

3. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the 
fire burned : then spake I with my tongue. 

The fire of divine charity, thus prevented from diffusing 
itself, for the illumination and warmth of those around it, 
and, like other fire, rendered more intense by its confine- 
ment, presently ascended, in the flame of devotion, toward 



DAY VIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 155 

heaven ; while it continued to be fed, and preserved in 
brightness and vigour, by meditation on the goodness of 
God, and the ingratitude of man ; the transient miseries of 
time, and the durable glories of eternity. 

4. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of 
my days what it is : that / may know how frail I am. 

Wearied with the contradiction of sinners, and sickening 
at the prospect of so much wretchedness in the valley of 
weeping, the soul looks forward to her departure from hence, 
praying for such a sense of the shortness of human life, as 
may enable her to bear the sorrows of this world, and excite 
her to prepare for the joys of a better. " O faithless and 
perverse generation/' saith even the meek and patient Jesus 
himself, " how long shall I be with you, how long shall I 
suffer you V — Matt. xvii. 17. 

5. Behold, thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth, 
and mine age is as nothing before thee : verily every man at 
his best, Heb. settled estate, is altogether vanity. 

The age of man, or that of the world, is but a "span" 
in dimension, a moment in duration ; nay, it is less than 
both; it is " nothing," if compared with the unmeasurable 
extent, and the unnumbered days of eternity : every hour, 
from that of our birth, brings us so much nearer to our death; 
nor can we continue, for a second of time, in one stay. — 
" Behold," then, O Lord, the " vanity" of man ; and be so 
merciful unto him, as to open his eyes, that he may behold 
it himself.' 

6. Surely, every man walketh in a vain show, or, in a 
shadowy image : surely, they are disquieted in vain : he 
heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. 

This world is, to the other, as a "shadow" to the sub- 
stance ; nay, temporal life, health, riches, honours, and 
pleasures, can hardly be called shadows of those which are 
eternal, in point of resemblance ; though, for their illusive 
and fleeting nature, they are shadows indeed. — "The 
mortal state of man is compounded of light and darkness ; 
seeming to be something, when really it is nothing ; always 
altering, and ending on a sudden ; nearest to disappearing, 
when at full length ; sure to continue no longer than while 
the sun is above the horizon ; but liable to vanish, at the 
interposition of a cloud, and, when it is gone, leaving no 
track behind it." The fate of riches, heaped up by misers, 



156 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XXXIX. 



with unutterable care and anxiety, may convince us, how 
"vainly" men are "disquieted !" 

7. And now, Lord, what wait I for ? My hope is in thee. 
The soul that hath a true sense of the vanity of the 

creature, will at once fix her thoughts and affections on the 
Creator. A celebrated writer, describing a man of the world 
on his death-bed, hath expressed this sentiment with won- 
derful sublimity and elegance : — " Whoever would know 
how much piety and virtue surpass all external goods, 
might here have seen them weighed against each other, 
where all that gives motion to the active, and elevation to 
the eminent ; all that sparkles in the eye of hope, and pants 
in the bosom of suspicion, at once became dust in the 
balance, without weight, and without regard. Riches, 
authority, and praise, lose all their influence, when they 
are considered as riches, which to-morrow shall be bestowed 
upon another : authority, which shall this night expire for 
ever; and praise, which, however merited, or however 
sincere, shall, after a few moments, be heard no more."* 

8. Deliver me from all my transgressions ; make me not 
the reproach of the foolish. 

Affliction hath then had its proper effect, when the sufferer 
is thereby convinced of sin, and therefore prayeth for a 
removal of the latter, as the only way to be delivered from 
the former. The " reproaches " of the foolish make no 
inconsiderable article in the account of a Christian's suffer- 
ings ; and our Lord frequently complaineth of them, in the 
Psalms, as one of the bitter ingredients of his own cup. 

9. / was dumb, I opened not my mouth ; because thou 
didst it. 

Whatever materials compose the rod of affliction, and 
from whatsoever quarter the stroke cometh, let us remem- 
ber, that the rod is grasped, and the stroke is inflicted, by 
the hand of our heavenly Father. To revenge ourselves 
on the instrument, is folly ; to murmur against the agent, 
is something worse. 

10. Remove thy stroke away from me: lam consumed 
by the blow of thy hand. 

The Christian, who knows from whence his troubles pro- 
ceed, knows where to apply for relief ; and -having first 
"petitioned" for remission of sin, ver. 8. he then humbly 
* Rambler, Vol. If. No. 54. 



DAY VIII. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



157 



supplicates for a mitigation of his sorrow. " Father," saith 
the beloved Son of God, " if thou be willing, remove this 
cup from me." — Luke xxii. 42. 

11. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, 
thou makest his beauty, or, all that is delightful, or, desira- 
ble in him to consume away like a moth : surely every man 
is vanity. 

The body of man is as a "garment" to the soul : in this 
garment sin hath lodged a "moth," which, by degrees, 
fretteth and weareth away ; first, the beauty, then the 
strength, and, finally, the contexture of its parts. Whoever 
has watched the progress of a consumption, or any other 
lingering distemper, nay, the slow and silent devastations 
of time alone, in the human frame, will need no farther 
illustration of this just and affecting similitude ; but will 
discern, at once, the propriety of the reflection which 
follows upon it. — " Surely, every man is vanity ! " 

12. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry : 
hold not thy peace at my tears ; for I am a stranger with 
thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. 

Meditation should terminate in devotion ; and meditation 
on human vanity and misery, if indulged as it deserves to 
be, certainly will do so ; it will bring us to our " prayers," 
our "cries," and our "tears;" and teach us to address the 
throne of grace, as poor pilgrims in a strange land, who 
have here no abiding city, but are soon to strike Our tents, 
and be gone for ever. Such was David, though king of 
Israel; and. such was the son of David, in the body of his 
flesh, though Lord of all things : both were " strangers and 
sojourners, as all their fathers," Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
were before them, and as all their children have been, and 
shall be, after them upon the earth. 

13. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I 
go hence, and be no more. 

Most fervently and affectionately, therefore, ought the 
Christian pilgrim to pray, that God would spare his life, and 
respite the fatal sentence, until all that hath been decayed 
through the frailty of nature, be renewed by the power of 
grace ; that his perfect reconciliation with the Almighty may 
be accomplished, and his plenary pardon sealed in heaven, 
before he taketh his last farewell of the world, and ceaseth 
to have an existence in these regions of vanity and sorrow. 



158 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XL. 



PSALM XL. 

ARGUMENT. 

It is plain, from ver. 6 — 8. of this Psalm, compared with Heb. x. 5. that 
the prophet is speaking in the person of Christ, who, 1 — 5. celebrateth 
the deliverance wrought for his mystical body, the Church, by his 
resurrection from the grave, effecting that of his members from the 
guilt and dominion of sin ; for the abolition of which he declareth, 
6 — 8. the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices, and mentioneth his own 
inclination to do the will of his Father, and, 9, 10. to preach righteous- 
ness to the world. 11 — 13. He representeth himself as praying, while 
under his sufferings, for his own, and his people's salvation ; he fore- 
telleth, 14, 15. the confusion and desolation of his enemies, and, 16. 
the joy and thankfulness of his disciples and servants ; for the speedy 
accomplishment of which, 17. he preferreth a petition. 

1. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto 
me, and heard my cry. 

In this verse we hear the voice of the meek Lamb of God, 
who, though never sorrow was like unto his sorrow, "waited 
patiently," till the time appointed by the Father came, 
when that sorrow should be turned into joy. Let not his 
disciples expect to " inherit the promises," otherwise than 
" through faith and patience." Four thousand years, the 
church, under the patriarchs, the law, and the prophets, 
waited for the first advent of Messiah ; and seventeen hun- 
dred years, the church, under the gospel, hath waited for 
the second. Jehovah, who inclined himself to the prayers 
of the former, will also hear the cries of the latter. 

2. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, Heb. a 
pit of confused tumultuous noise, out of the miry clay, and 
set my feet upon a ?°ock, and established my goings. 

The sufferings, from which our Redeemer was delivered, 
are here described under the image of a dark subterraneous 
cavern, from which there was no emerging, and where roar- 
ing cataracts of water broke in upon him, overwhelming him 
on every side ; till, as it is expressed in the 18th Psalm — 
" God sent from above, and took him, and drew him out of 
many waters. Let us celebrate the deliverance of Christ, 
as a pledge and earnest of our own rescue from the troubles 
and temptations of life ; from the power of death and the 
grave; from the "horrible pit, and the miry clay;" when 



DAY VIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



159 



we shall be exalted on " the rock" of our salvation, and our 
" goings" shall be "established" for ever. 

3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise 
unto our God : many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust 
in the Lord. 

Every new deliverance requires " a new song." Chris- 
tians sing their wonderful redemption, from sin and death, 
in- these holy hymns, which God, by his Spirit, hath put 
into their mouths, and which, by their application to mat- 
ters evangelical, are become "new" songs, setting forth 
the praise and glory of God, through Jesus Christ. And 
who can hear the church, singing the victory and triumph 
of her mighty and merciful Saviour, without being incited 
to " fear," and « to believe ? " 

4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust : 
and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 

He who is sensible how much God hath done, and how 
little the world can do for him, will earnestly and heartily 
pronounce the blessedness of the man, who relies upon the 
real power and goodness of the former, instead of suffering 
himself to be deceived by the empty parade and fallacious 
promises of the latter. 

5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which 
thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they 
cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee : if [I would declare 
and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 

The counsels and works of the ever-blessed Trinity, 
planned and executed for the benefit of man, in his creation 
and preservation, his redemption and sanctification, in order 
to his resurrection and glorification, through Christ, already 
risen and glorified, are subjects which can never be ex- 
hausted by the intellectual powers of men or angels ; but 
will, to both, afford matter of incessant meditation, and end- 
less praise. Yet how little do we meditate on them ; how 
seldom, and how coldly, do we praise God for them ! 

6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine ears 
hast thou opened, burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou 
not required. 7. Then said L, Lo, L come ; in the volume 
of the book it is written of me. 8. / delight to do thy will, 
O my God : yea, thy law is within my heart. 

These words, as the apostle informeth us, Heb. x. 5. are 
* spoken by Christ, m his own person. In them he proclaims 



160 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XL. 



the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices to take away sin, and the 
divine disapprobation of such sacrifices, when relied on for 
that purpose. He sets forth his own readiness to do and to 
suffer the will of the Father, implied in the Psalm, by the 
words — "mine ears hast thou opened;" but more plainly 
expressed in the apostle's citation, by the paraphrase, "a 
body hast thou prepared me.' * He refers to the predictions 
concerning Messiah, in the scriptures of the Old Testament, 
which is here styled — " the volume, or, roll of the book." 
He declares the pleasure he had in doing the Father's will 
or in accomplishing the law ; which had taken possession of 
all his powers and faculties ; having been admitted by the 
understanding, retained in the memory, and rendered ope- 

* For the expression — " Mine ears hast thou opened," seems equivalent 
to— "Thou hast made me obedient." Thus Isa. 1. 5.— "The Lord God 
hath opened mine ears, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. 
I gave my back to the smiters," &c. The lxx, perhaps, meant to interpret 
this symbolical expression, when they rendered it by <rw/m Karrjpriarh) pot — 
"Thou hast prepared," or, "fitted my body," that is, to be "obedient," 
and to " do thy will." — See Dr. Jackson, vol. ii. p. 882. This seems to 
be the best sense of the present reading, and is well expressed by Mr. 
Merrick, in his poetical version : — 

Nor sacrifice thy love can win, 
Nor offerings from the stain of sin 

Obnoxious man shall clear: 
Thy hand my mortal frame prepares, 
(Thy hand, whose signature it bears,) 

And opes my willing ear. 

Mr. Pierce, of Exeter, proposed a conjectural alteration of the word o>j?n 
" ears," into the two words nu " then a body," &c. in which case, a 
learned friend suggests, riHD must likewise be altered to n'Va " hast thou 
prepared, or finished." Bishop Lowth wishes to adopt Mr. Pierce's 
emendation, in order to render the original conformable to St. Paul's 
citation from the lxx. And I must confess, if the apostle's argument 
turned on the word au)jj.a f such an emendation might seem necessary. It 
is true, <rw/m Xpitxrov occurs in the succeeding verse ; but I think it not 
essential to the argument, which seems to stand clear and full, whatever 
be the meaning of cw/xa Karripriau) fxoi — " When he said, Sacrifice, &c 
thou wouldest not — then he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He 
taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." The author of 
the anonymous notes in Mr. Merrick's Annotations, I find, is of this opi- 
nion. — " It is not certain that the apostle argues from the word aiofia at 
all. He quotes the translation of the lxx, as he found it in his copy ; 
lays a stress on what is in the Hebrew, but none on the rest; either 
knowing it not to be there, or being restrained, by the Spirit of God, 
from making use of it." — See Appendix to Mr. Merrick's Annot. p. 294- 



DAY VIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



161 



rative in the will. — " I delight to do thy will, O my God ; 
yea, thy law is within my heart." 

6. / have preached righteousness in the great congrega- 
tion : lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. 
10. / have not hid thy righteousness within my heart, 1 
have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation ; I have 
not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the 
great congregation. 

As the preceding verses described the priestly office of 
our Lord ; in the execution of which, he offered himself, 
and his all-perfect obedience, for us : so, in the passage 
now before us, he declares himself to have acted up to the 
prophetical part of his character, by " preaching " the doc- 
trines of truth, righteousness, and salvation, to the people, 
without concealing aught, through negligence, fear, or 
favour. Happy the minister of Christ, who, on his death- 
bed, is able to say the same. 

1 1 . Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord, 
let thy loving-kindness and thy truth alway preserve ?ne. 

The beloved Son of God here prayeth for the continuation 
of that mercy, and the accomplishment of those gracious 
promises, to his body, the church, which made the subjects 
of his heavenly discourses, in the days of his flesh. Such 
ought to be the subjects of our discourses, and of our prayers. 

12. For innumerable evils have compassed me about; 
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that L am not 
able to look up : they are more than the hairs of mine head, 
therefore my heart faileth me. 

If these words, as well as the foregoing, are supposed to 
be spoken by our Lord (and indeed there doth not appear 
to be any change of person), they must be uttered by him, 
considering himself (for so the primitive writers suppose him 
in the Psalms frequently to consider himself) as still suffer- 
ing in his body mystical, the church ; and lamenting, as 
head, both the transgressions and the afflictions of the mem- 
bers, accomplishing their warfare in the world. Thus 
much, at least, we know, that, after his ascension, when the 
members were persecuted on earth, the head complained 
from heaven, as sensible of the pain. — " Saul, Saul, why 
persecutest thou met" Some critics think the word ^Tty, 
in the text, may be translated " my punishment." But the 
author of the anonymous notes, mentioned below, observes, 

M 



162 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XL. 



that " all punishments, properly speaking, presuppose sin ; 
and especially when they are represented, as here, to over- 
take and seize a person. Therefore, to understand this of 
Christ, it must be interpreted of imputed sins, or punish- 
ments for them.' , — Merrick's Annot. p. 295. 

13. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me : O Lord, make 
haste to help me. 

This short, but forcible prayer, for help and deliverance, 
in God's good time, and according to his good pleasure, con- 
tinues, and must continue to be, the prayer of the church, 
and of all her children, until the day of final redemption. 

14. Let them, or, they shall be ashamed and confounded 
together, that seek after my soul to destroy it ; let them, or, 
they shall be driven backward and put to shame, that wish 
me evil. 15. Let them, or, they shall be desolate for a re- 
ward of their shame, that say unto me, Aha, aha I 

The shame, confusion, and desolation, to be brought on 
the Jews by the resurrection, exaltation, and power of him, 
whose blood they thirsted after, and whom they mocked 
and insulted, when in his last agonies on the cross, are here 
foretold ; and the prophecy hath been punctually fulfilled. 
But a more horrible confusion and desolation awaiteth them, 
and all other impenitent sinners, at the future revelation of 
the righteous judgment of God ; when vengeance must 
destroy those whom mercy cannot reclaim. And, to this 
ultimate issue of things, the church directeth her views. 

16. Let all those that seek thee, or, all those that seek 
thee shall rejoice and be glad in thee ; let such as love thy 
salvatioyi, or, such as love thy salvation shall say continually, 
The Lord be magnified. 

As the last verses predicted the calamities which should 
befall the enemies of Messiah, this describeth the unfeigned 
joy and gladness, springing up in the hearts of such as love 
the salvation of Jesus, and evermore magnify his holy name 
in the church, for the blessings of redemption, "eating their 
meat," as the first Christians are said to have done, 
"with gladness, and singleness of heart, praising God." 
— Acts ii. 46. 

17. But /am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon 
me : thou art my help and my deliverer ; make no tarrying, 
O my God. 

The church, like her Redeemer, is often poor and afflicted 



DAY VIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



163 



in this world, but Jehovah thinketh upon her, and is solicit- 
ous for her support; she is weak and defenceless, but Je- 
hovah is her help and her deliverer. With such a Father, 
and such a Friend, poverty becometh rich, and weakness 
itself is strong. In the mean time, let us remember, that 
he who once came in great humility, shall come again in 
glorious majesty. " Make no tarrying, O our God ; but 
come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." — Rev. xxii. 20. 



EIGHTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XLL 

ARGUMENT. 

The application made of the 9th verse of this Psalm, John xiii. 18. 
showeth, that the prophet is speaking in the person of Messiah. 1 — 3. 
He declareth the blessedness of the man that considereth the poor ; 4. 
he prayeth for mercy and favour ; 5- 9. describeth the behaviour of his 
adversaries, and of one person in particular ; 10. petitioneth for deliver- 
ance; 11, 12. rejoiceth in hope ; and, 13. breaketh out into thanksgiving-. 

1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor ; the Lord will 
deliver him in time of trouble, Heb. in the day of evil. 

As Christ considered us, in our state of poverty, so ought 
we most attentively to consider him, in his ; to consider 
what he suffered in his own person ; to discern him suffer- 
ing in his poor afflicted members ; and to extend to them 
the mercy which he extended to us. He, who was "blessed " 
of Jehovah, and " delivered in the evil day," by a glorious 
resurrection, will "bless" and "deliver," in like manner, 
such as, for his sake, love and relieve their brethren. 

2. The Lord will preserve and keep him alive, or, revive 
him, and he shall be blessed upon the earth : and thou wilt 
not deliver him into the will of his enemies. 

The compassionate and charitable disciple of the holy 
Jesus is often wonderfully " preserved," and rendered pros- 
perous, even in this world ; but his greatest comfort is, 
that, like his Master, he shall one day be "revived," to in- 
herit the "blessing," in a better country, where no "enemy" 
can approach to hurt or molest him. 

3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of lan- 
guishing ; thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. 

m 2 



164 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLI.- 



As exemption from sorrow and sickness is not promised 
to the children of God ; but strength and comfort are given 
unto them, from above, to support and carry them through 
their trials ; and they, who, in the days of their health, 
have, by their alms, given rest to the bodies, or, by their 
counsels, restored peace to the consciences of others, shall 
have the bed of pain made easy under them, by the hand of 
their heavenly Father. 

4. I said, Lord be merciful unto me; heal my soul, for I 
have sinned against thee. 

Every son of Adam may, and ought, in these words, to 
acknowledge his sin, and to entreat for mercy and grace, to 
heal the disorders of his nature. If we suppose Messiah 
ever to have uttered this verse in his devotions, as we know 
he applied the 9th verse to his own case, it is obvious, that he 
must be understood to confess the sins, not of his own right- 
eous person, but of the nature he had assumed, in order to 
cleanse and purify it by his sufferings. — See below, Ps.xl. 12. 

5. Mine enemies speak evil of me : When shall he die, 
and his name perish ? 

Here we may undoubtedly consider the poor and lowly 
Jesus, in the day of his humiliation, when he was daily and 
hourly calumniated by his adversaries ; when, restless and 
impatient at beholding him still alive, they said — " What 
do we, for this man doth many miracles ? If we let him 
thus alone, all men will believe on him. Perceive ye how 
ye prevail nothing ? Behold, the world is gone after him : " 
John xi. 47. xii. 19. and when, grown more furious and 
clamorous, they cried, " Away with him, away with him, 
Crucify him, crucify him." How many, with the same bit- 
terness of spirit, " speak evil" continually of his doctrines, 
his church, his ordinances, and his ministers; in effect, 
saying, " When shall he die, and his name perish ? " 

6. And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity ; his heart 
gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. 

Thus the enemies of Christ " sent out spies, who should 
feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his 
words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and 
authority of the governor." — Luke xx. 20. Thus Judas sat 
down at the last supper, all the while meditating the de- 
struction of his Master; till at length, rising from table, and 
going abroad, he put his design in execution : and thus the 



DAY VIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



165 



mystical body of Christ frequently suffers, as his natural 
body once did, by means of hypocrites and traitors. 

7. All that hate me whisper together against me ; against 
me do they devise my hurt. 8. An evil disease ', say they, 
Heb. a word, or, matter of Belial, namely, the crime 
charged upon him, cleaveth fast unto him : and now that 
he lieth, he shall rise up no more. 

The whispers of the Pharisees, the counsels of the San- 
hedrim, and their taunts and scoffs at the blessed Jesus, 
when, on the cross, "numbered with the transgressors," 
nor ever expected to " arise " again from the dead, are 
here most significantly and plainly pointed out. The same 
weapons are frequently employed against the servants of 
Christ ; but let them not be, on that account, discouraged 
from following their Master. 

9. Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, 
which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel against me. 

" I speak not of you all," saith our Lord to his disciples ; 
" I know whom I have chosen ; but that the scripture may 
be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath lift up his 
heel against me." — John xiii. 18. The sufferings of the 
church, like those of her Redeemer, generally begin at 
home : her open enemies can do her no harm, until her 
pretended friends have delivered her into their hands : 
and, unnatural as it may seem, they, who have waxed fat 
upon her bounty, are sometimes the first to " lift up the 
heel " against her. 

10. But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me 
up, that I may requite them, or, and I shall requite them. 

The holy Jesus here maketh his prayer unto the Father 
for the accomplishment of the promised resurrection, and 
foretelleth the righteous judgment that would be executed 
on his enemies, after their rejection of the gracious offers 
made them, by the apostles, in his name, notwithstanding 
all that they had said and done against him. Then the 
kingdom of God was taken from them, and their house was 
left unto them desolate. The hour is coming, when the 
church shall arise to glory, and all her enemies shall be 
confounded. 

11. By this I know thou favourest me, because mine enemy 
doth not triumph over me. 12. And as for me, thou upholdest 
me in mine integrity, and setteth me before thy face for ever. 



166 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLIT. 



The Christian, like his Master, must expect sorrow and 
tribulation, but he is not thereby deprived of the " favour " 
of heaven ; his spiritual enemies, whatever trouble they 
may give him, yet do not " triumph" over him ; he is pre- 
served in his " integrity," and his reward will be the 
" vision " of God. For the exaltation, therefore, of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and of all believers, in, by, and through him, — 

13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting, 
and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. 



PSALM XLII. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, by Absalom's rebellion, driven from Jerusalem, to the country 
beyond Jordan, is there supposed to have indited this Psalm ; which, 
as it is applicable to the case of our Lord, in his state of sojourning and 
suffering on earth for our sins ; as also, that of the church, under per- 
secution, or that of any member thereof, when deprived of the oppor- 
tunities of public worship; so doth it in the most beautiful and pathetical 
strains, describe the vicissitudes of joy and sorrow, of hope and despond- 
ency, which succeed each other in the mind of the Christian pilgrim, 
while, exiled from the Jerusalem above, he sufFereth affliction and 
tribulation in this valley of tears. The last is the application chiefly 
made in the comment, as it is the most general and useful one ; the 
others naturally offer themselves, being coincident with, or subordinate 
to it. 

1. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth 
my soul after thee, O God. 

The thirst which the " hart" experienceth, when chased, 
in sultry weather, over the dusty plains, is here set before 
us, as a representation of that ardent desire after the waters 
of eternal comfort, which the temptations, the cares, and the 
troubles of the world produce in the believing soul. Happy 
they who feel this desire, and fly to the well of life, that 
it may be satisfied. " Blessed are they that thirst after 
righteousness, for they shall be filled." — Matt. v. 6. 

2. My soul thirst eth for God, for the living God: when 
shall I come and appear before God ? 

Whoever considers what it is to "appear before God;" 
to behold the glorious face of Jesus; to contemplate a beauty 
which never fadeth ; to be enriched by a beneficence which 
can never be exhausted, and blessed in a love unmerited and 
infinite ; will find abundant reason to say, again and again, 



DAY Vlll. E. P.]" ON THE PSALMS. 167 

u My soul thirsteth after God;"- — why is the time of my 
banishment prolonged? when shall the days of my pil- 
grimage have an end ? — " When shall I come and appear 
before God?" 

3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they 
continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 

So long as the soul finds herself absent from him whom 
she loveth, sorrow is still her portion, as well in the day of 
worldly prosperity, as in the night of adversity. And this 
sorrow is greatly aggravated by the taunts of the enemy ; 
who, because the promise is delayed, and she suffereth 
affliction in the mean season, ridiculeth and insulteth her 
faith and hope, as vain and groundless ; intimating, that 
God hath forsaken her, and tempting her to renounce her 
principles. 

4. When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in 
me : for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them 
to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a 
multitude that kept holy day. 

As the royal prophet, when driven from Jerusalem by 
Absolom, was melted into tears at the comparison of his 
destitute and forlorn situation with his former glory and 
happiness, when, upon some joyous festival, with all his 
subjects about him, he had attended the service of the 
tabernacle, in the city of God ; so the Christian pilgrim 
cannot but bewail his exile from the heavenly Jerusalem, 
out of which sin hath driven him, and doomed him to wan- 
der, for a while, in the vale of misery. Led, by repentance 
and faith, to look back to the place from whence he is fallen, 
he sighs after the unspeakable joys of the celestial Zion ; 
longing to keep a festival, and celebrate a jubilee in heaven; 
to join in the songs of angels, and bear a part in the music 
of hallelujahs. 

5. Why art thou cast, or, bowed down, O my soul, and 
why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God, 
for I shall yet praise him for the help, or, salvation of his 
countenance. 

The holy mourner now expostulates with his soul for 
suffering herself to sink into a kind of despondency, on 
account of her afflictions, and the insolent triumph of the 
adversary ; and, as a sovereign cordial for melancholy, pre- 
scribes "faith" in God, which will show the morning of 
salvation dawning, after the ni^ht of calamity shall have 



168 



A COMMENTARY 



["PS. XLII. 



run its course ; a night, which cannot be long, and may be 
very short. When the sun arises, we cannot be without 
light ; w r hen God turns his countenance toward us, we 
cannot be without " salvation." 

6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me : therefore 
will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the 
Hermonites, from the hill Mitzar — or, the little hill. 

The soul, although exhorted, in the last verse, to " put 
her trust in God," yet, considering her own infirmity, still 
continueth to be dejected : the prophet, therefore, confesseth 
as much ; and maketh his complaint to God, from whom 
alone he expecteth comfort ; and whom he did not forget, 
while, far from the sanctuary, he wandered up and down 
in the country beyond Jordan, whither he had fled from the 
face of Absalom. This world is, to us, that " country be- 
yond Jordan;" Lord, make us to " remember" thee, under 
all the afflictions and tribulations we meet with therein, 
until, restored to thy Jerusalem, we shall praise thee in 
heaven, for the mercies experienced upon earth. 

7. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water-spouts : 
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 

The prophet describeth the troubles which successively 
came upon him, by the vengeance of heaven, from above, 
" raising up evil against him, out of his own house" and 
kingdom, from beneath, according to the prediction of 
Nathan. — 2 Sam. xii. 11. The ideas seem to be borrowed 
from the general deluge, or from a storm at sea, when, at the 
" sound" of descending " water-spouts," or torrents of rain, 
the depths are stirred up and put into horrible commotion ; 
the clouds above calling, as it were, to the waters below, and 
one wave encouraging and exciting another, to join their 
forces, and overwhelm the despairing sufferer.* The whole 
compass of creation aflbrdeth not, perhaps, a more just and 
striking image of the nature and number of those calamities 
which sin hath brought upon the children of Adam.f 

* Thus, as the learned Merrick observes, one river, in Homer, " calls 
upon another," to assist in overwhelming the Grecian hero. And, in 
iEschylus, the fire and sea are said to " swear together," and to give each 
other their " pledge of confederacy," against the Grecian anny. 

f Since this was written, I find the author of " Observations on divers 
Passages of Scripture " agreeing entirely with me in the notion, that David 
is here describing those water-spouts, and storms at sea which were 
common on the Jewish coast, as we learn from Dr. Shaw. Observations, 
p. 324. 1st edit. So Mr. Merrick, likewise, in his Annotations. 



DAY VIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



J69 



8. Yet the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the 
day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and 
my prayer unto the God of my life. 

The gloomy prospect begins again to brighten, by a ray 
of hope shooting through it ; and the prophet returneth to 
his rest and confidence in the mercy of God : determining, 
not only to give him thanks in the day of prosperity, but, 
as Paul and Silas afterward did, to sing his praises at mid- 
night, in adversity and affliction. 

9. / will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten 
me ? Why go I mourning, because of the oppression of the 
enemy ? 10. As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies re- 
proach me : while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 

He ventureth, notwithstanding, meekly and humbly, 
upon the strength of the promises, to expostulate with him, 
who was the "rock" of his salvation, as to his seeming 
destitution, while continually oppressed and insulted by 
the cutting reproaches of the adversary. — See above, ver. 3. 
These might be thought to render it in some sort necessary 
for God to arise, and vindicate his own honour, by the 
protection and deliverance of his servant. The Psalmist 
concludes with that exhortation to his soul, to trust in God, 
and to wait for his salvation, which makes the mournful 
chorus of this beautiful Psalm. 

11. Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art 
thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God, for I shall 
yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my 
God. — See above, ver. 5. 



PSALM XLIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm seemeth to be a continuation of the former, written by David 
in the same circumstances, on the same subject, and closing with the 
same chorus. 

1 . Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an un- 
godly, or, unmerciful nation; O deliver me from the deceitful 
and unjust man. 

David, in the same situation as before, appealeth to God 
against a people who had driven their sovereign from his 



170 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XL1II. 



capital, to wander, like a fugitive and vagabond, in the 
remotest parts of his dominions ; against the hypocrisy of 
Absalom, and the villany of Ahitophel. The Son of David 
may be supposed to make the same appeal against the 
same nation, for their far more cruel, treacherous, and 
iniquitous usage of him, their King and their God. And 
the words suit the circumstances of an oppressed church, 
or an injured prince, of all who suffer for truth and righte- 
ousness' sake, or who groan under the tyranny of their 
spiritual enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

2. For thou art the God of my strength, why dost thou 
cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression 
of the enemy ?• — See above, Ps. xlii. 9. 3. O send out thy 
light and thy truth : let them lead me, let them bring me 
unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 

The chief desire of the Christian, analogous to that of 
the prophet in distress, is to be saved from sin, as well as 
sorrow ; to be instructed in the way of righteousness, by the 
" light " of heavenly wisdom, shining in the face of Jesus 
Christ ; to see the accomplishment of the promises, in him 
who is the " truth; " and to be " led," by this light and this 
truth, from the land of his pilgrimage, to the " holy hill," 
and the "mansions" of the just, in the New Jerusalem. 

4. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my 
exceeding joy, or, the gladness of my joy ; yea, upon the 
harp will I praise thee, O God, my God. 

The royal prophet, upon his restoration to his throne, 
was to sacrifice, on the altar of his God, with the voice of 
thanksgiving, and to celebrate his mighty Deliverer, in a 
new song, upon the melodious harp. The Christian, in like 
manner, foresees a day coming, when sorrow and sighing 
shall be no more : when he and his brethren are to be 
"made kings and priests; " when they are to reign with their 
Redeemer for ever ; and, upon their golden harps, tuned to 
an unison with those of angels, to sing his everlasting 
praises in the courts of the heavenly temple. Therefore, — 

5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou 
disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet 
praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my 
God.See above, Ps. xlii. 5. 



DAY IX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



171 



NINTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XLIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

Iii this Psalm we hear the voice of the church under persecution, I — 3. 
recounting the mercies of God vouchsafed to his servants of old time ; 
4 — 8. declaring her confidence, that she shall experience the same in 
her present distress, and shall at length overcome, through the power of 
her Redeemer; for that, notwithstanding her seeming desertion and 
manifold sufferings, 9 — 16. there is still a faithful remnant, 17—22. 
of those who have not bowed the knee to Baal, and who cease not, 
23 — 26. to cry unto God for mercy and deliverance. 

1. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have 
told us, what works thou didst in their days, in the times 
of old. 

The works wrought of old, by the arm of Jehovah, for 
the salvation of his people, are recorded by the Spirit in the 
scriptures of truth, that " through patience and comfort of 
those scriptures," as the apostle expresses it, the church 
and people of God, whensoever oppressed and afflicted, in 
any age or country, " may have hope," that the same God 
will exert the same power in their behalf. And great is the 
light, great is the consolation, which the sacred history, 
when thus applied, will always afford to the troubled mind. 

2. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, 
and plantedst them ; how thou didst afflict the people, and 
cast them out. 

If the dispossession of the Canaanites, and the establish- 
ment of the house of Jacob in their land, furnished the dis- 
tressed church of Israel with sufficient ground for confidence ; 
how much force hath the argument since received, by the 
accomplishment of what was then typified ; by the victories 
of the true Joshua, or Jesus, by the fall of Paganism, and 
the plantation of the Christian faith in its stead ! 

3. For they got not the land in possession by their own 
sword, neither did their own arm save them ; but thy right 
hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance because 
thou hadst a favour unto them. 



J 72 A COMMENTARY [PS. XLIV. 

As it sufficiently appears, that the settlement of Israel in 
the promised land was the work of God, from the mira- 
culous fall of Jericho ; from the prolongation of the day, at 
the word of Joshua ; from the slaughter of the enemy by 
hailstones from heaven, &c. &c. so was it the first thing 
which an Israelite was in duty bound to acknowledge, if 
he hoped for more mercies at the hand of God. The 
Christian, in like manner, begins and ends all his prayers 
with an humble and thankful acknowledgment of the free 
mercy of God in Jesus Christ ; confessing, that he " got 
not" his title to salvation, nor should enter into the "pos- 
session of it, by " his own" power or merit, but by "the 
right hand and the arm of his Redeemer, and the light of 
his countenance, because he had a favour unto him." 

4. Thou art my King, O God, command deliverances for 
Jacob. 

In these words, the church sums up her argument ; as if 
she had said — O thou, who, going forth before thy people, 
hast so often and so wonderfully wrought salvation of old 
time, I still acknowledge thee as my King, able and willing 
to save : O manifest yet again thy power, yet again let me 
experience thy mercy. Behold all things are at thy com- 
mand ; all events are at thy disposal. O gracious Saviour, 
let all work together for good, to her whom thou lovest. 

5. Through thee will we push down our enemies ; through 
thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 

The people of God, however persecuted by the power of 
the world, here declare, that their faith faileth not ; that the 
adversary cannot take from them their holy confidence in 
God, through whom, and in whose saving name, whenever 
he shall think fit to hear their prayers, and to appear in 
their cause, they doubt not of obtaining a final victory, and 
celebrating a glorious triumph, over all their enemies, 
terrestrial and infernal. Such should be the hope of every 
afflicted soul. 

6. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword 
save me. 7. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and 
hast put them to shame that hated us. 8. In God we boast 
all the day long : and praise thy name for ever. 

In spiritual as well as temporal warfare, the appointed 
means are to be used, but not "trusted in;" man is to 
fight, but God giveth the victory ; and to him must be 



DAY IX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



173 



ascribed the praise, and the power, and the glory ; that, as 
it is written, " He who glorifieth, may glory in the Lord." 
And thus the Christian church daily singeth, after the 
example of her blessed and holy Representative, — " My 
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in God 
my Saviour." 

9. But thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame ; and 
goest not forth with our armies. 

The church, having declared her confidence, founded on 
the former mercies of God vouchsafed unto her, proceedeth 
now to describe her pitiable state under persecution, when 
the protection of the Almighty seemed, for a season, to be 
withdrawn, so that she was no longer able to stand before 
her enemies. 

10. Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy ; and 
they which hate us spoil for themselves. 

The first consequence of a victory, gained by the enemies 
over the friends of the church, is rapine and sacrilege ; the 
invasion of her patrimony, and the plunder of her revenues ; 
allured by the prospect of which, robbery hath sometimes 
entered into the sanctuary, under the mask of reformation. 

1 1 . Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat ; 
and hast scattered us among the heathen. 

The second calamity which is permitted to fall on the 
church, in the day of adversity, is, that her people are 
doomed to sudden and cruel deaths by sanguinary edicts. 
A third calamity is, that of their being driven, in times of 
persecution, from their native country, to wander among 
strangers and aliens, or among those in whose communion 
it is judged unlawful t#join. 

12. Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not 
increase thy wealth by their price. 

A fourth misery incident to the people of God, when 
under persecution, is, that he permits them to be held cheap 
and vile, and to be sold into slavery by their enemies, for 
little or nothing ; a situation far more to be dreaded than 
the sword of the executioner. 

13. Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn 
and a derision to them that are round about us. 14. Thou 
makest us a by-word among the heathen ; a shaking of the 
head among the people. 15. My confusion is continually 
before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me : 



174 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLIV. 



16. For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth : 
by reason of the enemy and avenger. 

The fifth and last bitter fruit of persecution is, that thereby 
the name, and truth, and church, and people of God, are 
exposed to the insolent and blasphemous scoffs and jeers 
of infidels ; nor is there any circumstance to a pious soul 
more grievous and afflictive than this. 

17. All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten 
thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. 18. Our 
heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from 
thy way : 19. Though thou hast sore broken us in the place 
of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. 

It is certain that God is provoked, by the sins of a church, 
to let loose the fury of the oppressor upon her. This is 
acknowledged by Daniel in his prayer, ch. ix. by the three 
children in the furnace, Song, ver. 5, 6. by the Maccabean 
martyrs, suffering under Antiochus, 2 Mace. vii. 18. and by 
Cyprian, and others, in the primitive times. It is not less 
certain, that no mere man can say, he is free from trans- 
gression. The verses, now under consideration, are not, 
therefore, spoken by the whole church, but by the faithful 
remnant ; nor do they imply an exemption from all sin, but 
a stedfast perseverance in the profession of God's true 
religion, from which it is the aim of persecution to seduce, 
or to force them. The malice of the tormentors is here 
compared to the venom of " serpents;" and the state of a 
suffering church to the gloom of "death" itself. Happy 
the soul, that, in the extremity of affliction, can, with humble 
confidence, thus make her appeal to God, as having held 
fast her integrity against all the effb#s made to wrest it from 
her, and not having suffered the blasts of adverse fortune, 
by wearing out patience, to part her from the anchor of faith. 

20. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched 
out our hands to a strange god ; 21. Shall not God search 
this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart. 

The consideration, that " God is greater than our heart, 
and knoweth all things," 1 Johniii. 20. ought to be strongly 
impressed on our minds at all times ; but more particularly 
when we are tempted by the world (as, one way or other, 
we all frequently are) to deny our Master, either by word 
or deed ; and when we have occasion to call heaven to 
witness our uprightness, under such temptation. 



DA V IX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



175 



22. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long ; we 
are counted as sheep for the slaughter. 

The sufferings of the martyrs were a sufficient proof 
that they had not yielded to the temptations of the enemy. 
St. Paul, Rom. viii. 36. cites this verse as predictive of the 
persecutions then beginning to be raised against the Chris- 
tians. All may apply it to themselves, who are in circum- 
stances of the same nature ; and persecution is generally 
consistent with itself, contriving, by some means or other, 
to be rid of those who stand in its way. It is a storm, 
before which all must either bend, or be broken. 

23. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord ? Arise, cast us 
not off for ever. 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face? and 
forgettest our affliction, and our oppression ? 

There is a time, when the triumphs of the adversary, 
and the afflictions of the church, tempt men to think that 
the eye of Providence is closed, or turned away, and that 
the Almighty hath ceased to remember their sad estate. 
But the truth is, that God only giveth his people an oppor- 
tunity of feeling their own insufficiency ; and waiteth till, 
by fervent and importunate prayer, they solicit his help. 
For so the holy Jesus slept, while the ship was covered 
with the waves ; until awakened by the cries of his dis- 
ciples, he arose to their assistance, and spoke the tempest 
into a perfect calm. 

25. For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly 
cleaveth unto the earth. 

They who are not brought into this state of humiliation, 
by outward sufferings, should bring themselves into it, by 
inward mortification and self-denial, by contrition and 
abasement, if they would put up such prayers as the 
majesty of heaven wKl deign to accept, and answer; if 
they would repeat, with our church, in the spirit of the 
litany, the concluding verse of this Psalm — 

26. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies* 
sake. 



176 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XI.V. 



PSALM XLV. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, which is one of those appointed to be used on Christmas 
day, the prophet, after, 1 . proposing his subject, proceeds to celebrate 
King Messiah, 2. for his spiritual beauty and eloquence ; 3 — 5. his 
power and victories ; 6. his throne and sceptre ; 7. his righteousness 
and inauguration ; 8. his royal robes and glorious palace. 9. The 
Church is introduced as his Spouse ; her appearance and dress are 
described; 10 — 12. it is foretold, that the nations shall bring their 
offerings to her; 13 — 15. her attire, her presentation to Christ, with 
her attendant train, and the universal joy and gladness, occasioned by 
the solemnization of the nuptials, are set forth. 16. The prophet pre- 
dicteth the fruits of this divine union, and, 17. the use that should be 
made of his sacred epithalamium by the faithful, from generation to 
generation. 

1. My heart is inditing, Heb. boikth, or, bubbleth up a 
good matter, or, the good word. I speak of the things which 
I have 7iiade touching the King. My tongue is the pen of 
a ready writer. 

" The Spirit of the Lord," saith David elsewhere, 2 Sam. 
xxiii. 2. " spake by me, and his word was in my tongue." 
In like manner, we are to conceive the prophet here to be 
full of the divine spirit, which inspired him with " the 
good word," or the glad tidings of salvation. The sacred 
fire, inclosed in his heart, expanded itself within, till at 
length it brake forth with impetuosity, to enlighten and to 
revive mankind with this glorious prediction " touching 
the King" Messiah ; and this was uttered by his tongue, 
under the guidance of the Spirit, as, in writing, the pen is 
directed by the hand that holds it. 

2. Thou art fairer than the children of men : grace is 
poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 

After a short introduction, the prophet stays not to enter 
regularly upon the subject, in the formal way of narration; 
but, as if he saw the Divine Person, whom he was about to 
celebrate, standing before him, he breaks out into ecstatic 
admiration of the second Adam, so different from all the 
descendants of the first ! Compounded of a soul fair above 
all created spirits, and a body pure and perfect, and now 
brighter than the meridian sun ; being invested with the 
unutterable effulgence of the Divine Nature. Next to the 



DAY IX. M. P.] ON TPIE PSALMS. 177 

spiritual beauty of Messiah, the prophet is astonished (as 
those who heard him speak, in the days of his flesh, after- 
ward were) at " the gracious words which proceeded out of 
his mouth, Luke iv. 22. through the grace poured into his 
lips." Such honey and milk were under his tongue, so 
delightful and salutary was his doctrine, that even his ene- 
mies found themselves obliged to confess, "never man spake 
like this man." — John vii. 46. His word instructed the 
ignorant, resolved the doubtful, comforted the mourners, 
reclaimed the wicked, silenced his adversaries, healed 
diseases, controlled the elements, and raised the dead. 
Therefore hath the Father loved, and exalted, and blessed 
him for evermore. 

3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty : with 
thy glory and thy majesty. 

The prophet, having described the beauty and the elo- 
quence of the King, proceedeth now to set forth his power, 
and to arm him, as a warrior, for the battle. The " sword" 
of Messiah is his word, which, in the language of St. Paul, 
is said to be " quick and powerful, and sharper than any- 
two-edged sword ; " and is represented by St. John, as " a 
sharp two-edged sword," coming out of the "mouth" of 
Christ. — Heb. iv. 12. Rev. i. 16. With this weapon he 
prevailed, and thereby made his "glory and majesty" to 
be known throughout the world. 

4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because, or, for 
the sake of truth, and meekness, and righteousness : and thy 
right hand shall teach thee terrible, or, wonderful things* 

Messiah is in these words magnificently described, as 
making his progress among the nations, seated in his tri- 
umphal chariot, adorned with all the regal virtues, achiev- 
ing the most astonishing victories, and, by the irresistible 
might of his power, subduing idolatry and iniquity to the 
faith and temper of the gospel. 

5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's ene- 
mies : whereby the people fall under thee, 

The prophet goes on to represent Messiah as a warrior, 
completely armed, and skilful in the use of every weapon. 

* " The sense may perhaps be this : — Thy right hand, by its promptness 
to encounter danger, shall bring thee acquainted with terrible things : thy 
right hand shall know its office : by habitual exercise, shall render thee 
expert in war ; and lead thee on from conquest to conquest." — Merrick. 

N 



178 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLV. 



Thus a prince is pourtrayed, Rev. vi. 2. — " 1 saw, and 
behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, 
and a crown was given unto him ; and he went forth con- 
quering and to conquer." The conquests of Messiah are 
either those of his word over sin, or those of his arm over 
the persecuting powers. 

6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever : the sceptre 
of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 

The battle being fought and the victory gained, we are 
called to the consideration of the " throne" and " sceptre" 
of King Messiah, whom the prophet addresseth as God. 
His throne is distinguished from the thrones of this world, 
by its endless duration ; his sceptre from the sceptres of 
earthly potentates, by the unerring rectitude of its admi- 
nistration. 

7. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness : there- 
fore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of glad- 
ness, above thy fellows. 

The sermons, the example, and, above all, the death of 
Christ for the expiation of sin, demonstrated his love of 
righteousness, and hatred of wickedness ; and "because he 
humbled himself, and became obedient even to the death of 
the cross, therefore God highly exalted him; " — Phil. ii. 8, 9. 
and he was "anointed" to the kingdom, "with the Holy 
Ghost, and with power" immeasurable ; to the intent that 
he might bestow, in due proportion, the gifts of heaven on 
those, whom he is not ashamed to call "friends" and 
"brethren." And these gifts he did bestow on them, by 
the emission of the Spirit, soon after his ascension and 
inauguration. — See the application of these two last verses 
to Christ, Heb. i. 8. 

8. All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia, out 
of the ivory palaces* whereby they have made thee glad. 

From the throne, the sceptre, and the inauguration, the 
prophet passes on to the robes and palaces of the King of 
glory, declaring, that as the perfumed garments of an earthly 
prince scatter through all the royal apartments a grateful 
fragrance, so from the glorious vestments of our High Priest 
and King is diffused the sweet savour of his heavenly graces 
filling those happy regions of joy and gladness, where he 

* That is, palaces adorned, or inlaid with ivory ; as, " Ebur atria vestit." 
— Lucan x. 119. — Merrick. 



DAY IX. M. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



179 



keeps his residence above, and, by the communication of 
the Spirit, refreshing the faithful on earth with their odours. 

9. King's daughters were among thy honourable women, 
or, the splendour of thy train; upon thy right hand did 
stand the queen in gold of Ophir. 

Such being the divine beauty and heavenly glory of the 
blessed Person, whose nuptials the prophet is now proceed- 
ing to describe, it is no wonder that, upon hearing of his 
fame, innumerable converts, forsaking the vanities even of 
courts and kingdoms, should follow him, ambitious to have 
the honour of composing his train ; which in reality was the 
case, upon the publication of the gospel. And lo, at " the 
right hand" of the King, followed by this magnificent pro- 
cession, appears the Church, the Spouse of the Lamb, 
arrayed in the garments of righteousness and salvation, 
fitly compared, for their inestimable value and radiant 
brightness, to " the gold of Ophir." 

10. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine 
ear ; forget also thine own people, and thy fathers house. 
11. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty : for he is 
thy Lord, and worship thou him. 

This seemeth to be the voice of God, addressing the church, 
to the following; effect — thou, whom I have beo-otten unto 
a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, 
and whom I have called out of the world, to become " the 
Lamb's wife," hearken diligently to my voice, consider at- 
tentively what I say, and be obedient to my direction ; thou 
art now entering into a new state ; let old things pass 
away ; regard no more thy connexions with earth ; but let 
the love, and, if possible, the very memory of thy former 
condition, be obliterated from thy mind ; let all things be- 
longing to the flesh die in thee : then shalt thou be truly 
acceptable and dear in his sight, who, having purchased and 
betrothed thee to himself, justly claims thy whole heart, 
thy undivided love, and thy unlimited service and adoration. 

12. And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift, 
even the rich among the people shall entreat thy favour. 

The accession of the Gentiles, with their offerings and 
donations, to the church, is here predicted, under the name 
of "Tyre," a city in the neighbourhood of Palestine, for- 
merly the glory of the nations and mart of the world. — See 
Isa. lx. and Rev. xxi. 

n 2 



180 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLV. 



13. The King's daughter is all glorious within: her 
clothing is of wrought gold. 

The church, in different respects, is sometimes called 
the spouse, sometimes the sister, and often, as here, the 
"daughter" of the heavenly King; the connexion formed 
between them, uniting in itself every relation and every 
affection. Her beauty, so greatly desired and delighted in 
by Messiah, is spiritual ; it is the beauty of holiness ; and 
her clothing is " the righteousness of saints." — 1 Pet. iii. 3. 
Rev. xix. 8. 

14. She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of 
needlework; or, embroidery ; the virgins her companions 
that follow her shall be brought unto thee. 

The different graces of the faithful, all wrought in them 
by the same Spirit, compose that divine "embroidery," 
which adorns the wedding garment of the church, who is 
therein presented to the King, attended by her bride-maids, 
after the nuptial manner. These are either the single 
churches, or holy souls, that accede to, and accompany the 
spouse ; unless we suppose, as some do, that the bride is 
the Israelitish church, and then the attendants will repre- 
sent the Gentiles. 

15. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: 
they shall enter into the King's palace. 

The solemnization of this marriage between Christ and 
the church produceth a jubilee upon earth, and causeth the 
streets of the heavenly Jerusalem to resound with halle- 
lujahs. For this the angels tune their golden harps, while 
prophets, apostles, martyrs, and saints, fill up the universal 
chorus of " Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be 
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, 
for ever and ever." 

16. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom 
thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 

In this verse the prophet foretelleth the fruit that should 
spring from the glorious nuptials which he hath been cele- 
brating. He assureth the spouse, that, instead of her earthly 
kindred, whether Jewish or Pagan, which she was to leave 
for Christ, should arise an illustrious and royal progeny of 
believers, out of whom were to be chosen Christian kings 
to govern the world, and Christian bishops to preside in 
the church. The expression, " whom thou mayest make 



DAY IX. M. P. 



ON THE PSALMS. 



181 



princes," may answer to that in the Revelation, chap i. 
ver. 6. — " And hath made us kings and priests unto God 
and his Father." So Mr. Merrick thinks, who beautifully 
turns the passage, in his poetical version, as follows — 

No more the Patriarchs of thy line 

In time's long records chief shall shine ; 

Thy greater sons, to empire born, 

Its future annals shall adorn. 

Thy power deriv'd to them display, 

And stretch through earth their boundless sway. 

17. I will make thy name to be remembered in all gene- 
rations ; therefore shall the people praise thee for ever 
and ever. 

By inditing this divine marriage-song, appointed to be 
sung in the congregations of the faithful, from age to age, 
the Psalmist hath been, as he foresaw he should be, the 
blessed means of celebrating his Redeemer's name, and 
inciting the nations of the world to do likewise ; nor will he 
cease to be so while the 45th Psalm continues to be sung 
in the church upon earth ; that is, while there remaineth a 
church upon earth to sing it. And we, who now do sing it, 
are witnesses of these things. 



PSALM XLVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

The church, in time of trouble, declares, 1 . her trust and confidence to be 
in God, and doubts not, 2, 3. of being preserved safe, by means of 
this anchor, in the most stormy seasons ; even then, 4, 5. enjoying the 
comforts of the Spirit, and the presence of Christ in the midst of her. 
She describes, and, 6, 7. exults in the power and might of her victorious 
Lord ; 8. calling the world to view and consider his wonderful works. 
9. He himself is introduced, as speaking the nations into peace and 
obedience. She concludes with a repetition of ver. 7. in the way of 
chorus. 

1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in 
trouble. 

As we are continually beset by "troubles," either bodily 
or spiritual, so we continually stand in need of a city of 
" refuge and strength," into which we may fly, and be safe. 
Religion is that city, whose gates are always open to the 



182 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLVI. 



afflicted soul. We profess to believe this : do we act 
agreeably to such profession ? 

2. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be re- 
moved, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of 
the sea ; 3. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof 

The church declares her full and firm confidence in God 
as her refuge and strength, amidst all the tumults and con- 
fusions of the world, the raging of nations, and the fall of 
empires. Nay, at that last great and terrible day, when sea 
and land are to be confounded, and every mountain and hill 
removed for ever ; when there is to be " distress of nations, 
with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;" even then, 
the righteous shall have no cause to "fear," but rather to 
"lift up their heads" with joy and triumph, because then 
it is that their "redemption draweth nigh." Let us set 
that day before us, and try ourselves by that test. 

4. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad 
the city of God : the holy place of the tabernacle of the 
Most High. 5. God is in the midst of her ; she shall not 
be moved : God shall help her, and that right early ; Heb. 
when the morning appeareth. 

Such is the ground on which the church erects her con- 
fidence. Instead of those waters, which overwhelm the 
world, she has within herself the fountain of consolation, 
sending forth rivers of spiritual joy and pleasure ; and in 
the place of secular instability, she is possessed of a city 
and hill which stand fast for ever, being the residence of 
the Eternal, who, at the dawn of the last morning, will 
finally appear as the protector and avenger of Israel. 

6. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he 
uttered his voice, the earth melted. 

How concise, how energetic, how truly and astonishingly 
sublime ! The kingdom of Christ being twofold, these 
words may be applied either to the overthrow of heathenism, 
and the establishment of the gospel ; or to the destruction 
of the world, and the erection of Messiah's triumphant 
throne. Conquer, O Lord, all our perverse affections, and 
reign in us, that we may conquer, and reign with thee. 

7. The Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is 
our refuge ; Heb. an high place for us. 

To the "Lord of hosts" all creatures in heaven and earth 



DAY IX. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



183 



are subject ; in " the God of Jacob," the church acknow- 
ledges the Saviour of his chosen. If this person be Im- 
manuel, God with us, of whom can we be afraid ? 

8. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations 
he hath made in the earth, 9. He maketh wars to cease 
unto the end of the earth, he breaketh the bow, and cutteth 
the spear in sunder, he burnetii the chariot in the fire. 

The church, in these words proposes to us the noblest 
subjects for contemplation ; namely, the glorious victories 
of our Lord, partly gained already and partly to be gained 
hereafter, in order to the final establishment of universal 
peace, righteousness, and bliss, in his heavenly kingdom. 
Then the mighty shall be fallen, and the weapons of war 
perished, for ever. Hasten, O Lord, that blessed day ; but 
first prepare us for it. 

10. Be still, and know that I am God ; I will be exalted 
among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

In this verse there is a change of person, and Jehovah 
himself is introduced, as commanding the world to cease its 
opposition, to own his power, and to acknowledge his sove- 
reignty over all the kingdoms of the nations. Let our rebel- 
lious passions hear this divine edict, tremble, and obey. 

11. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is 
our refuge. — See ver. 7. 



NINTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XLVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, appointed by the church to be used on Ascension day, the 
prophet, 1 . calls the nations to celebrate so glorious a festival ; and 
that, on account, 2. of Christ's power, and the mightiness of his king- 
dom ; 3. of his victories and triumphs, through the gospel ; 4. of the 
inheritance prepared for his chosen, in the heavenly Canaan, by his own 
ascension thither ; which, 5. is described under images borrowed from 
the ascent of the ark into the holy city and temple ; an occasion, on 
which the Psalm was probably composed. 6, 7. He again and again 
exhorts all people to sing the praises of their God and King, and to 
sing with the understanding, as well as with the voice. 8, 9. The 
Psalm concludes with predicting the establishment of Christ's kingdom, 
and the conversion of the Gentile kings and nations to the faith. 

1. O clap your hands, all ye people, shout unto God with 
the voice of triumph. 



184 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLVJI. 



The prophet invites all nations to celebrate the festival of 
Messiah's exaltation, because all nations had a share in the 
benefits and blessings of that glorious day. God is to be 
worshipped with bodily, as wed as spiritual worship ; every 
"hand" should be lifted up to him who formed it, and 
every "mouth" should praise him who giveth breath for 
that purpose. 

2. For the Lord most high is terrible, he is a great King 
over all the earth. 

The church celebrates the ascension of Christ, because 
then he was " highly exalted ; " then he became "terrible " 
to his enemies, all power in heaven and in earth being com- 
mitted to him ; and then he began to display the excellent 
majesty of his universal kingdom, to which he was then 
inaugurated, being crowned " King of kings, and Lord of 
lords." 

3. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations 
under our feet. 

The consequence of our Lord's ascension was the going 
forth of the all-subduing Word, under the influence and 
direction of which the convinced and converted nations 
renounced their idols and their lusts, and bowed their 
willing necks to the yoke of Jesus. This is that great 
conquest, foreshowed by the victories of Joshua, David, and 
all the faithful heroes of old time, and foretold in language 
borrowed from their histories. 

4. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency 
of Jacob whom he loved. 

The land of Canaan, emphatically styled " that good 
land, and the glory of all lands," was the " excellent 
inheritance," chosen for the sons of Jacob, and consigned 
to them, upon the expulsion of the idolatrous nations. But 
from that inheritance Israel hath also long since been ex- 
pelled : and Christians, by these words, are taught to look 
to "an inheritance eternal and incorruptible, and that 
fadeth not away ; " to those happy and enduring mansions, 
which the Son of God is gone to prepare for them that 
love him, and are beloved of him. 

5. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound 
of a trumpet. 

Literally, if applied to the ark, as Bishop Patrick para- 
phrases the verse, " God is gone up, by the special token 



DAY IX. £. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 185 

of his presence, into that holy place, with shouts of joy and 
praise ; the Lord is gone up in a triumphant pomp, with the 
sound of the trumpet, and all other instruments of music." — 
See 2 Sam. vi. 5. 15. 2 Chron. v. 2. 12. &c. Ps. cxxxii. 8, 9. 
But spiritually, as applied now, by the Christian church, 
to the ascension of Christ into heaven, prefigured by that 
of the ark into the temple — God incarnate is gone up into 
that holy place, not made with hands ; the everlasting doors 
of heaven are opened, for the King of glory to enter, and 
repossess his ancient throne ; there he is received by the 
united acclamations of the celestial armies, by that " shout," 
that voice of the archangel, and that " trump of God," 
which are to sound again, in the day when he shall " so 
come, in like manner, as he went into heaven. " # 

6. Sing praises to God, sing praises ; sing praises unto 
our King, sing praises. 7. For God is the King of all the 
earth, sing ye praises with understanding. 

Who can contemplate the glorious triumph of human 
nature over its enemies, in the person of our King, risen 
and ascended, without finding himself constrained to break 
forth into joy, and to sing, with a thankful heart, and an 
elevated voice, the praises due unto his holy name ! These 
divine hymns were designed for that purpose. Let us 
therefore sing them, and let us sing them " with under- 
standing ; " considering by whom they were indited, and of 
whom they treat ; reflecting, that the eternal Spirit is their 
Author; and their subject the blessed Jesus. 

8. God reigneth over the heathen ; God sitteth upon the 
throne of his holiness. 

We are never suffered to forget, that the end of Messiah's 
exaltation to the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, 
was the conversion and salvation of the world ; so con- 
tinually do the prophets and apostles delight to dwell upon 
that most interesting topic, the conversion of the " nations" 
to the gospel of Christ. Why do we vainly fancy, that we 
belong to Him, unless his Spirit " reign" in our hearts by 
faith ? 

9. The princes of the people are gathered together, even 
the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the 
earth belong unto God : he is greatly exalted. 

* " Ascendit Deus" — Ascendit area in Jerusalem cum cantu. Pro- 
phetiche, Ascendit Christus in ccelum. — Bossuet. 



186 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XL VI II 



This verse plainly describeth the kings of the Gentiles as 
acceding to the church; as becoming, with their subjects, 
through faith, " the people of the God of Abraham," and a 
part of the sacred peculium ; as submitting to God in Christ 
that power with which they were invested, as " shields of 
the earth," or protectors of their several kingdoms, and as 
bowing their sceptres to the cross of Jesus.* The sense of 
the verse, expressed in New Testament language, would be, 
" The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of 
our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and 
ever." So let every nation be converted unto thee, O Lord ! 
and every king become thy son and servant ; until all the 
world shall worship thee, sing of thee, and praise thy name ! 



PSALM XLVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is one of those, which by our church are appointed to be used 
on Whitsunday, because, under images taken from the earthly city 
Jerusalem, newly rescued from her enemies, by him who resided in the 
material temple on Mount Zion, are celebrated, 1 — 3. the glory, the 
beauty, and the strength of the church Christian, that city and temple 
of Messiah ; who, 4 — 7. is described as breaking in pieces, and bring- 
ing to nothing, the opposition formed against her by the heathen kings 
and emperors; on which account, 8 — 11. she expresseth her gratitude 
and joy ; 12 — 14. exhorting her people to contemplate and transmit to 
posterity, an account of those wonderful works of God, the establish- 
ment and preservation of his church in the world ; for which she wishes 
all generations, after her example, to adore and praise his holy name 
for ever and ever. 

1 . Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city 
of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. 

The prophet, preparing to celebrate the beauty and mag- 
nificence of the church, begins with setting forth the praises 
of her great Founder ; whose wisdom, mercy, and power, as 
they are conspicuous in all his works, so, more especially, in 
this, the chief and crown of all ; for which his name can 

* This latter part of the verse is differently explained by the Reverend 
Mr. Merrick, in his poetical paraphrase of this Psalm— 

For he, whose hands, amid the skies, 

Th' eternal sceptre wield, 
To earth's whole race his care applies, 
. And o'er them spreads his shield. 



DAY IX. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



187 



never be sufficiently extolled by the inhabitants of the New 
Jerusalem ; and by them it ought to be extolled, for ever 
and ever. 

2. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is 
Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great 
King. 

How "beautiful" is the holy and heavenly Zion, or the 
Christian church ; how truly is she " the joy of the whole 
earth," by the glad tidings which her ministers continually 
publish ; how properly is this Jerusalem styled, " the city 
of the great King ! " 

3. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. 

The great Founder of the church is also her protector 
and defender ; the dependence of the New Jerusalem, like 
that of the Old, is not in man, or in the arm of flesh, but in 
the God, who resideth in the midst of her. For, surely, 
unless he kept the holy city, the watchmen in the towers 
would wake but in vain. 

4. For lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. 
Never were the power and malice of earthly princes more 

violently bent to hinder the building of Jerusalem, or to 
pull down what was ready built, than they were to prevent 
the edification of the church, and to root up its foundations. 
But the event, with regard to the latter, was the same, 
which had often happened, in the case of the former. 

5. They saw it, and so they marvelled, they were troubled. 
and hasted away. 6. Fear took hold upon them there, and 
pain as of a woman in travail. 

The potentates of the world saw the miracles of the apos- 
tles, the courage and constancy of the martyrs, and the 
daily increase of the church, notwithstanding all their per- 
secutions ; they beheld with astonishment the rapid pro- 
gress of the faith through the Roman empire ; they called 
upon their gods, but their gods could not help themselves ; 
idolatry expired at the foot of the victorious cross, and the 
power which supported it, became Christian. 

7. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with the east wind. 

In the foregoing verse, the consternation amongst the 
enemies of the church was compared to the horrors of a 
travailing woman; here it is likened to the apprehensions of 
despairing mariners. Nor, indeed, can any thing in nature 
more fitly represent the overthrow of heathenism by the 



188 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLVIII. 



Spirit of the gospel, than the wreck of a fleet of ships in a 
storm at sea. Both are effected by the mighty power of 
God* 

8. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the 
Lord of hosts, in the city of our God ; God will establish it 

for ever. 

The church heard, by the prophets, of the future birth, 
life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Messiah ; of the 
effusion of the Spirit, and her own enlargement, establish- 
ment, and preservation, in the Gentile world. These pre- 
dictions, which she had so often " heard," she hath "seen" 
accomplished, even unto this day ; f and therefore doubts 
not of God's continuing his favour and protection to the 
end of time. 

9. We have thought, or, we wait in silence and patience 
for thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. 

Contemplation of all the wondrous works, which the Lord 
our God hath wrought for us, produces faith in his pro- 
mises, and resignation to his will : and he that, with these 
dispositions, waits for God's mercies, in God's house, shall 
not wait in vain. 

10. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto 
the ends of the earth : thy right hand is full of righteousness. 

Wherever the name of God is known, and his works are 
declared, there the sacrifice of praise must needs be offered 
to him, by men, who are made sensible of his mercies toward 
them : and the day is coming, when all the world shall be 
forced to acknowledge, that his " right hand is full of right- 
eousness," and his judgments are just. 

* Sensus est ; qualis ventus vehemens content naves magni maris, talis 
est Dei vis tuentis Jerusalem, et hostilem exercitum dissipantis. — Bossuet. 
Illustrations of this kind are sometimes introduced, by the sacred writers, 
with the mark of comparison ; and frequently, as here, without it. The 
meaning evidently is, that as the east wind shatters in pieces the ships of 
Tarshish, so the divine power struck the heathen kings with terror and 
astonishment. 

t " Sicut audivimus" — Prophetia Isaiae videtur hie notari : sensusque 
est ; sicut audivimus ab Isaia prophetatum, fore ut obsidio mirabiliter sol- 
veretur, ac Sennacherabi Dux Rabsaces, ejusque exercitus csederetur ; sic 
impletum vidimus. Isa. xxxvii. 21. 2 Reg. xix. 20. Qua. figura coelestis 
Jerusalem incolse et ipsi canunt, " sicut audivimus," ex auditu fidei, Gal. 
iii. 25. " sic vidimus," jam sublato velo, atque aperta Dei facie. " Deus 
fundavit earn : " nihil habet metuendum, tanto exempta periculo. Pro- 
phetice, de Ecclesia fundata super petram, ideoque inconcussa. — Matt, 
xvi. 18. — Bossuet. 



DAY IX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



189 



11. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah 
be glad, because of thy judgments. 

The church, and all her children, are exhorted to rejoice, 
with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, on account of the 
manifestation of divine power, on her behalf, against her 
enemies. Thus, at the fall of the mystic Babylon, it is 
said, " Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles 
and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her." — Rev. 
xviii. 20. 

12. Walk about Zion, and go round about her : tell the 
towers thereof. 13. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider 
her 'palaces, that ye may tell it to the generations following. 

Christians are here enjoined to contemplate, again and 
again, continually, the fabric of the spiritual Jerusalem, 
wonderfully raised, and as wonderfully preserved ; to con- 
sider attentively the parts designed for use, for strength, 
for ornament ; that they may be able to instruct posterity 
in the nature and history of this holy building, and in their 
duty of forwarding and defending the same, from genera- 
tion to generation. 

14. For this God is our God for ever and ever : he will 
be our guide even unto death. 

Let the world worship whom or what it will, we worship 
none other but Him, who, by his Spirit, founded, and, by 
his power, preserveth the church ; who, by that Spirit, 
"guideth" us through life, and, by that power, will enable 
us to overcome "death;"* that so we may rejoice and 
triumph for evermore, as citizens of the city of God, and 
subjects of the King of Glory. 

* " This God will be our God to all eternity, and (by that power which 
he has already exerted in our protection) will conduct us through life with 
s afety . ' ' — M err i ck . 



190 



A COMMENTARY 



L PS. XLtX. 



PSALM XLIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

The prophet, after a solemn introduction, 1 — 4. in which the whole world 
is called upon, to hear a lesson of divine wisdom, 5. proposes the sub- 
ject in a question, implying the great folly of yielding to the temptation 
of fear, in the time of affliction and persecution, when the rich and the 
powerful are in arms against the innocent and Righteous Sufferer : in- 
asmuch as, 5 — 9. no man, by his riches or power, can redeem his brother, 
or himself, in the evil day ; but, 10. wise and foolish die, and leave their 
estates to others; and, 11 — 13. notwithstanding all their care and 
pains, are soon forgotten, while they are detained by death in the grave, 
till they rise to judgment and condemnation. On the other hand, the 
prophet, in the person of Messiah, 15. declares his faith in a joyful 
resurrection to life and glory, through the power of Jehovah ; and, 
16 — 20. exhorts believers neither to fear nor envy the man of the 
world, considering what his latter end is to be. 

1 . Hear this, all ye people ; give ear, all ye inhabitants of 
the world: 2. Both low and high, rich and poor together. 

This Psalm opens with great dignity, and the prophet 
speaks, " as one having authority." He demands an audi- 
ence like that which is to be assembled at the last day ; 
having something to deliver, which is universally important 
and interesting ; something, which concerns every age, and 
condition, and nation under heaven. And we may observe, 
that although the sound of this Pslam, when first uttered, 
could be heard only within the confines of Judea, yet the 
knowledge of it hath since actually been diffused in the 
Christian church, throughout the world, from the rising to 
the setting sun. But how few, alas, have duly attended to 
the salutary lesson, which it so divinely teacheth ! 

3. My mouth shall speak of ivisdom ; and the meditation 
of my heart shall be of understanding. 

At the call of folly, what multitudes are always ready 
to assemble ! But wisdom, eternal and essential wisdom, 
crieth without ; she lifteth up her voice in the streets ; and 
who is at leisure to attend her heavenly lectures? The 
" mouth" of Jesus always "spake of wisdom;" but few 
regarded him : the " meditation of his heart" was ever "of 
understanding;" but it was accounted madness. 

4. / will incline mine ear to a parable : I will open my 
dark speech upon the harp. 

In the promulgation of wisdom and understanding to the 
world, the prophet, as the faithful scribe of the Spirit, was 



DAY IX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



191 



to speak only what he should hear, by " inclining his ear" 
to his divine Teacher ; he was to speak in the way of 
"parable, or proverb, or problem," that is, in such a way, 
as should require study and diligence to unfold and explain ; 
in such a way, as the world is not inclined to understand, 
or listen to ; as our Lord delivered his doctrines when on 
earth. And, that melody might serve as a vehicle for 
instruction, this important lesson was to be set to music, 
and played upon the harp. 

5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the 
iniquity of my heels shall compass me about ? 

The iniquity of my heels, says Bishop Lowth, is hardly 
sense. Suppose *Opy to be, not a noun, but the present 
participle of the verb ; it will then be — "The wickedness of 
those that lie in wait fbr me," or, " endeavour to supplant 
me." Bishop Hare likewise, as Mr. Merrick has observed, 
translates 'Qpy " insidiantium mihi." I had, at first, given 
another turn to the Psalmist's question, and, by " the iniquity 
of my heels," had understood to be meant, "the iniquity of 
of my footsteps," that is, " my goings or ways; " ("Opy being 
used for footsteps, Ps. lvi. 7. and Cant. i. 8.) as if it had 
been said — Why, for the sake of procuring riches, or power, 
should I bring fear and anguish upon myself, in that hour, 
when my sins will be found out, and neither riches nor power 
can deliver me from the punishment due to them ? Thus 
Bossuet and Mudge understood the verse. But I am clear, 
that Bishop Lowth 's idea is the true one ; and then the 
purport of the question is plainly this — Why should I give 
way to fear and despondency, in the time of calamity, when 
the wickedness of my wealthy and powerful adversaries 
compasses me about, to supplant and overthrow me ? 

6. They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in 
the multitude of their riches : 7. None of them can by any 
means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for 
him : 8. ( For the redemption of their soul is precious, and 
it ceaseth for ever.) 9. That he should still live for ever, 
and may not see corruption. 

In this world, as the Wise Man observeth, Eccl. x. 19. 
" money answereth all things ; " and therefore, worldly men 
place their trust and confidence in it; but, in "the evil day," 
riches shall not be found ; nor, if they could be found, 
would they avail any thing toward eternal salvation. For, 



192 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XLIX. 



" what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? " saitli 
one, who best knew the value of souls ; as he paid the 
price of that " precious redemption," which otherwise must 
have "ceased for ever;" when he suffered for us on the 
cross, and arose, on the third day, to life and immortality, 
without "seeing corruption. " # 

10. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and 
the brutish 'person perish, and leave their wealth to others. 

The inability of man to save his brother or himself from 
death, is evinced by daily experience, which showeth us, 
that the penalty due to sin is continually levied upon all ; 
wisdom and folly go down into the dust together ; " and 
then, whose shall those things be, which have been pro- 
vided ? " — Luke xii. 20. Their possessions come into the 
hands of others, perhaps of those for whom they never in- 
tended them, and who have neither inclination nor ability 
to do the dead man any service. 

11. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall con- 
tinue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations ; 
they call their lands after their own names. 

Various are the contrivances of vain men, to have their 
names written on earth, and to procure, after their deaths, 
an imaginary immortality, for themselves and their families, 
in the memory and conversation of posterity ; which is not 
often obtained ; and, if obtained, is of no value ; when, with 
less trouble, they might have had their names written in 
heaven, and have secured to themselves a blessed immor- 
tality in the glorious kingdom of their Redeemer. 

12. Nevertheless, man being in honour, abideth not ; he 
is like the beasts that perish. 

The continuance of man m the world is as that of a 
traveller at an inn, who tarrieth but for a night ; so that if 
honour and wealth do not soon leave him, he must soon 
leave them, and, like the brutes around him, return to his 
earth, never more to be seen, and little more to be thought 
of.f Families decay, and are extinguished, as well as indi- 

* Hos versus ad Christum Patres referunt, ut sensus sit, nemo purus 
homo fratrem redimit, sed tan turn ille homo qui etiam Deus est. Memo- 
rant etiam Interpretes R. Mosen Hazardan, qui verba haec de Rege 
Messia intelligit, qui pro redemptione fratrum mortuus, postea in aeternum 
vivat, uti prsedictum est ab Isaia, liii. 10.— Bossuet. 

t " Comparatus est jumentis ;" quoad temporalia, nihil habet amplius, 
atque omnino instar jumenti est, nisi seterna meditatur. — Bossuet. 



DAY IX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



193 



viduals ; and the world itself is to perish after the same 
example. That such beings, in such a place, should think 
of becoming glorious and immortal ! 

13. This their way is their folly ; yet their posterity 
approve their sayings. 

The practice of labouring to acquire wealth and great- 
ness, which can be of no service after death, and of endea- 
vouring to perpetuate the possession of the most uncertain 
things in nature, is doubtless a folly; but it is a folly, 
which, like many others, is at once blamed and imitated. 

14. Like sheep that, or, they are laid in the grave, death 
shall feed on them ; and the upright shall have dominion over 
them in the morning, and their beauty shall consume in the 

rave, from their dwelling. 
The high and mighty ones of the earth, who cause people 
to fear, and nations to tremble around them, must one day- 
crowd the grave ; in multitude and impotence, though not 
in innocence, resembling sheep, driven and confined, by the 
butcher, in his house of slaughter. There death, that 
ravening wolf, shall feed sweetly on them, and devour his 
long expected prey, in silence and darkness, until the glo- 
rious morning of the resurrection dawn ; when the once 
oppressed and afflicted righteous, risen from the dead, and 
sitting, with their Lord, in judgment, shall have the dominion 
over their cruel and insulting enemies; whose faded beauty, 
withered strength, and departed glory, shall display to men 
and angels the vanity of that confidence, which is not placed 
in God. 

15. But God will redeem my soul, or, animal frame, from 
the power of the grave; for he shall receive me. 

The righteous, as well as the wicked, descend into the 
grave : to the bodies of the former it is a resting place, as 
the prison was to St. Peter, till the angel of the Lord shall 
awaken them, and call them forth ; while to the latter it is a 
condemned hold, from which, at the appointed day, they 
are to be dragged to execution.* The prophet here ex- 
presseth a full and firm faith in the resurrection ; and may 
be conceived as speaking in the person of Him, who was 

* Impiorum inanitate despecta, assurgit ad bonos in Deum sperantes, 
quorum Deus animam ab inferis redimit, cum a sepulchro assumptos ad 
vitam geternam transfert. Alioqui, neque qui sperat in Domino plus reli- 
quis haberet, neque prefationi responderet hujus Psalmi doctrina. — Bossuet. 

O 



194 



A COMMENT A R Y 



[PS. XLIX. 



first redeemed from the grave, and accepted by the Father; 
who did not " despond in the days of evil, and when the 
wickedness of his supplanters compassed him about;" as 
foreseeing their speedy destruction, and his own approach- 
ing resurrection and exaltation. And, therefore, he thus 
exhorts each disciple of his in the subsequent verses of 
our Psalm : — 

16. Be not thou afraid, when one is made rich; when the 
glory of his house is increased. 17. For when he dieth, he 
shall carry nothing away : his glory shall not descend after 
him. 

This is the conclusion of the Psalm, naturally following 
from the premises ; and addressed by way of exhortation 
and comfort, to the meek and humble disciples of the Lamb ; 
directing them to fear God, who is able to destroy both soul 
and body in hell, and not to be afraid of the short-lived 
power, conferred in this world, by wealth, over the body 
only. For this purpose, nothing is requisite, but to strip 
the worldling of the pomp and parade, the connexions and 
relations of life, and to consider him, as he is to appear, 
on the day of his burial ; when nothing shall attend him, 
but his shroud to the grave, and his works to the judgment 
seat. View him in this light, which is the proper light to 
view him in, and he will cease to be the object of fear, or 
envy. 

18. Though whilst he lived he blessed his soul ; and men 
will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself 

Such must be the worldling's end, as described above, 
however, in the day of health and prosperity, he may bless 
himself, and say, " Soul, thou hast goods laid up for many 
years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Nor will 
such a speech, whenever it is spoken, want its admirers: it 
will have the applause of numbers, whose opinion it is, that 
"there is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat, 
and drink, and enjoy himself, all the days of his life, which 
God giveth him under the sun." 

19. He shall go to the generation of his fathers, they shall 
never see light. 

They who follow their fathers in sin, must follow them 
likewise into the torments of that sad place, where dark- 
ness has fixed its everlasting abode, for the reception of those 
who ever loved and embraced it ; and where the light of 



DAY X. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



195 



life and salvation no longer visits those, who always hated 
and rejected it. 

20. Man that is in honour, and under standeth not, is like 
the beasts that perish. 

The sum of the whole matter is, that it can profit a man 
nothing to gain the whole world ; to become possessed of 
all its wealth, and all its power ; if, after all, he lose his 
own soul, and be cast away, for want of that holy and 
heavenly wisdom, which distinguishes him from the brutes, 
and sets him above them, in his life and at his death. 



TENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER, 



PSALM L. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm presents us with a magnificient description, 1, 2. of the pro- 
mulgation of the gospel, followed, 3, 4. by a prediction of the terrible 
manner of God's coming to judge his apostate people Israel ;* 5, 6. of 
the assembly to be present, and his appeal to men and angels; 7 — 13. 
the rejection of the legal, and, 14, 15. the establishment of the Christian 
worship and services; 16 — 20. the impenitent Jews are arraigned, and, 
21. threatened, and, 22. exhorted to consider, to repent, and, 23. to em- 
brace the evangelical, or spiritual religion. It is to be observed, that 
in this Psalm, as in our Lord's discourse on the same subject, the parti- 
cular judgment of Jerusalem is a figure and specimen of the last general 
judgment. Hypocritical and wicked Christians are therefore to apply 
to themselves, what is primarily addressed to their elder brethren, the 
unbelieving and rebellious sons of faithful and obedient Abraham. 

1. The mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called 
the earth from the rising of the sun, unto the going down 
thereof. 

* Such is the general idea entertained of this psalm, by the best 
Christian expositors, cited in Poole's Synopsis ; where we are likewise in- 
formed, that the Jewish Rabbies affirm the subject of it to be " that judg- 
ment which will be executed in the days of Messiah" — ignorant, alas ! 
that they themselves, and their people, are now become the unhappy objects 
of that judgment. — " Psalmi quinquagesimi argumentum est ex genere 
Didactico ad moralemTheologiam pertinens, grave imprimis etfructuosum: 
Deo nimirum non placere Sacrificia et externos ritus religionis, sed sin- 
ceram potius pietatum, laudesque ex grato animo profluentes ; neque vero 
has ipsas pietatis significationes, sine justitia cseterisque virtutibus. Ita 
duas habet partes ; primo arguitur cultor pius quidem, sed ignarus et 
superstitioni obnoxius : deinde improbus pietatis simulator. — Si, totum 

o 2 



196 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. L. 



" God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake 
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these 
last days spoken unto us by his Son." — Heb. i. 1. The 
everlasting gospel hath made its glorious progress from the 
eastern to the western world; and the nations have been 
thereby called to repentance. 

2. Out of Sion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 
The law which was given by Moses, proceeded from Sinai, 

the mount of fear and horror ; but the word of grace and 
truth, which came by Jesus Christ, issued forth from Sion, 
the chosen mountain of beauty and excellency, in Jerusalem. 
There that glory first arose and shone, which, like the light 
of heaven, soon diffused itself abroad over the face of the 
whole earth. 

3. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence : a Jire 
shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous 
round about him. 

The prophet, having described the first advent of Christ, 
and the promulgation of the gospel, now foretelleth his 
coming to take vengeance on the hypocritical Jews ; as also 
his advent to judge the world, prefigured thereby. Upon 
both those occasions, his coming was to be with sounds and 
sights of terror, with all the marks and tokens of wrath and 
fiery indignation, like those displayed on Sinai. 

4. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, 
that he may judge his people. 

Heaven and earth, men and angels, were to be witnesses 
of the righteous judgments of God, executed upon his apos- 
tate people ; as all the celestial armies, and all the genera- 
tions of the sons of Adam, are to be present at the general 
judgment of the last day. 

5. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have 
made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 

These are the words of God summoning mankind to 

hujusce Odse apparatum et quasi scenam contemplamur, nihil facile potest 
esse magnificentius. Deus universum genus humanum solenni edicto 
convocat, ut de populo suo judicium publice exerceat ; ponitur in Sione 
augustum Tribunal : depingitur Dei advenientis majestas imaginibus a 
descensu in montem Sinam petitis : Ccelum et Terra invocantur Divinas 
justitise testes : turn demum inducitur Dei ipsius sententiam dicentis augus- 
tissima persona, per reliquam Oden continuata; unde cum cseteris ejus 
partibus admirabilis ilia exordii majestas et splendor communicatur."- 
Lowth, Prselect. xxvii. ad. in it. 



DAY X. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. ] 97 

attend the trial, " calling to the heavens from above, and to 
the earth, that he may judge his people." Thus it is said 
of the Son of man, Matt. xxiv. 31. — " He shall send his 
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall 
gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end 
of heaven to the other." 

6. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness ; for 
God is judge himself. 

Th' applauding- heavens the changeless doom, 

While God the balance shall assume, 

In full memorial shall record, 

And own the justice of their Lord. — Merrick* 

7. Hear, O my people, and I will speak ; O Israel, and I 
will testify against thee : I am God, even thy God. 

This is the voice of the omniscient Judge, impleading his 
ancient people, who are commanded to attend to the words 
of him, their God, and covenanted Saviour, thus constrained 
to clear his justice before the world, and to show that they 
had destroyed themselves. Nominal and wicked Christians 
will be addressed in the same manner at the last day. 

8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt 
offerings, to have been, or, they were continually before me. 

This judicial process was not commenced against Israel 
for their having neglected to offer the sacrifices of the law ; 
their oblations were on the altar, morning and evening, con- 
tinually, insomuch that God, by the prophet Isaiah, declares 
himself "weary of them" as not having been accompanied 
with faith and holiness in the offerer. Many pharisaical 
Christians will be condemned for the same reason, notwith- 
standing their strict and scrupulous attendance upon the 
ordinances of the new law, if it shall appear, that they left 
religion in the church behind them, instead of carrying it 
with them into their lives and conversations. 

9. I will take no bullock out of thine house, nor he-goat out 
of thy folds. 10. For every beast of the forest is mine, and 
the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11. / know all the fowls of 
the mountain; and the beasts of the field are mine. 12. If 
I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine, 
and the fulness thereof. 

The Jewish folly of doating on the legal offerings, as things 
in themselves acceptable to God, and conferring justification 



198 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. L. 



on man, is reproved in these verses, from the consideration, 
that the various animals slain in sacrifice, were long before, 
even from the creation of the world, the sole right and pro- 
perty of Jehovah ; which, therefore, he needed not to have 
required at the hands of his people ; nor would he have 
done so, but for some farther end and intent, signified and 
represented by such oblations. What that end and intent 
was, Christians know ; and Jews formerly did know. Learn 
we hence, not to dream of any merit in our works and ser- 
vices ; since God hath a double claim, founded on creation 
and redemption, to all we have, and all we are. 

13. Will I ea t the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats ? 

Another argument of the Jews' blindness, is the gross ab- 
surdity of imagining, that a spiritual and holy being could 
possibly be satisfied and pleased with the taste and smell of 
burnt offerings, (which God often declareth himself to have 
been,) any otherwise, than as they were symbolical of some 
other sacrifice, spiritual and holy, and, therefore, really pro- 
pitiatory and acceptable in his sight. That man judaizeth, 
who thinketh to please God by an external, without an in- 
ternal service ; or by any service, without Christ. 

14. Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto 
the Most High : 15. And call upon me in the day of trou- 
ble ; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. 

The carnal and bloody sacrifices of the law being abolished 
by the coming of Messiah, the spiritual aud unbloody obla- 
tions of the gospel succeed in their stead. These are, the 
eucharistic sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the mer- 
cies of redemption ; that hearty repentance, that faith un- 
feigned, and that obedience evangelical, promised and vowed 
in baptism : that perfect trust in God, and resignation to his 
will, which our Lord expressed in his prayer, during his 
sufferings, and which we ought to express in our prayers, 
when called to suffer with him, if we desire to glorify God 
for our deliverance through him, in the day of visitation. 
These are the services enjoined to such Jews as would 
become Christians, and to such Christians as would be 
Christians in deed and in truth. 

16. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do 
to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my cove- 
nant in thy mouth : 17. Seeing thou hatest instruction, and 
easiest my word behind thee ? 



DAY X. M. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



199 



From hence, to the end of the Psalm, we have an expostu- 
lation of God, with the unbelieving* Jew, who boasted his 
relation to Abraham, without a spark of Abraham's faith in 
his heart; and gloried in a law, which condemned him as a 
breaker of its precepts in every instance. St. Paul's expostu- 
lation with the same person, Rom. ii. 17, &c. is so exact a 
parallel to this before us, that one will be the best comment 
upon the other — " Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest 
in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest h:s 
will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being- 
instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thy- 
self art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in 
darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, 
which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the 
law. Thou therefore that makest thy boast of the law, 
through breaking the law dishonourest thou God ?" Every 
minister of God should try and examine himself by these 
passages in our Psalm and St. Paul, on the former of which 
the famous Origen is once said to have preached, making 
application to his own case, not without many tears. And 
indeed, " if thou, O Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who 
among us all, shall stand? But there is forgiveness with 
thee.'' — Ps. cxxx. 3, 4. 

18. When thou saicest a thief, then thou consentedst with 
him, and hast been partaker with the adulterers. 

St. Paul proceeds in the very same manner — " Thou that 
teachest another, teachest thou not thy thyself? Thou that 
preachest a man should riot steal, dost thou steal ? Thou 
that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou com- 
mit adultery ? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit 
sacrilege?'' — All Christians, the clergy especially, should 
beware not only of committing evil themselves, but of "con- 
senting" to, or " partaking" of the evil committed by others. 

19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth 
deceit. 20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother : 
thou slanderest thine.own mother s son. 

Had- St. Paul thought proper to have gone on to this 
instance, he might have said — " Thou that teachest a man 
should not bear false witness, dost thou bear false witness?" 
For certainly, never men brake that commandment in a more 
flagrant manner than the Jews ; never men " gave" their 
"mouth" more " to evil," or " framed" more "deceit," than 



200 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. L, 



they, when they " sat and spake against their brethren," 
and "slandered their own mother's children," for believing 
in Jesus Christ. Let us look at this picture of slander, and 
we shall never fall in love with so detestable a vice. 

21. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence ; thou 
thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself; but 
I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. 

The forbearance of God only tempted the Jews still to 
think him on their side, till at length he made the Roman 
armies his instruments of conviction ; who, by crucifying 
multitudes of their countrymen, in sight of the besieged, did 
in a wonderful manner "reprove them, and set before them 
the things which they had done." The day of judgment 
will do this to all sinners, if temporal chastisements effect it 
not, before that day shall come. 

22. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you 
in pieces, and there be none to deliver. 

The stupendous desolation of Jerusalem, for rejecting so 
kind an admonition of her Saviour and suffering him ta 
weep over her in vain, should, in a most powerful manner, 
enforce that admonition on the inhabitants of Christendom, 
to prevent its falling, after the same example of unbelief. 

23. Whoso offer eth me praise, glorijieth me; and to him 
that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salva- 
tion of God. 

This verse resumes and repeats the conclusion intended 
by the whole Psalm, concerning the Jewish and the Christian 
worship ; and St. Paul, in the place above cited, affords us 
a complete comment upon it. — " He is not a Jew, which is 
one outwardly ; nor is that circumcision, which is outward 
in the flesh : but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly ; and 
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the 
letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God." 



DAY X. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



201 



PSALM LI. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, composed upon a sad occasion, but too well known, we 
have a perfect model of penitential devotion. The royal suppliant, 
robed in sackcloth, and crowned with ashes, entreats for mercy, 1, 2. 
"from a consideration of his own misery, and of the divine goodness; 3. 
from that of his confession; 4. of God's sole right to judge him; 5. 
laments the corruption of his nature; but, 6. without pleading it as an 
excuse; 7. prays for gospel remission, in legal terms; 8. for spiritual 
joy and comfort : 9, 10. for pardoning and cleansing grace ; 11, 12. for 
strength and perseverance, that he may, 13. instruct and convert others; 
14, 15. deprecates the vengeance due to blood; 16, 17. beseeches God 
to accept an evangelical sacrifice, and 18, 19. concludes with a prayer 
for the church. 

1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving- 
kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, 
blot out my transgressions. 

The penitent's first ground for hope of pardon is his own 
misery, and the divine mercy, which rejoiceth to relieve that 
misery. The riches, the power, and the glory of a kingdom 
can neither prevent nor remove the torment of sin, which 
puts the monarch and the beggar upon a level. Every 
transgression leaves behind it a guilt and a stain ; the 
account between God and the sinner is crossed by the blood 
of the great propiatory sacrifice, which removes the former; 
and the soul is cleansed by the Holy Spirit, which takes 
out the latter. 

2. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse 
me from my sin. 

The soul that is sensible of her pollution, fears she can 
never be sufficiently purified from it; and therefore prays 
yet again and again, continually, for more abundant grace, 
to make and to keep her holy. 

3. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is 
ever before me. 

The penitent's second plea for mercy is, that he doth not 
deny, excuse, or palliate his fault, but confesses it openly 
and honestly, with all its aggravations, truly alleging that it 
haunts him night and day, causing his conscience incessantly 
to reproach him with his base ingratitude to a good and 
gracious Father. 



202 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LI. 



4. Against, or, to thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done 
this evil in thy sight ; that thou mightest, or, therefore thou 
wilt be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou 
judgest. 

A third reason why the penitent sues for mercy at the 
hand of God is, because God alone certainly knows, and is 
always able to punish the sins of men. David sinned 
"against" many; as against Uriah, whom he slew ; against 
Bathsheba, whom he corrupted ; and against all the people, 
to whom he became the cause of much offence and scandal. 
But the sin was committed in secret ; and if it had not been 
so, he as king, had no superior, or judge in this matter, but 
God only ; who being able to convict the offender, as he did 
by the prophet Nathan, would assuredly be justified in the 
sentence he should pronounce. And he will appear to be so 
in his determinations at the last day, when he will surprise 
the wretched, unthinking sinner, with a declaration similar 
to that which he made, by his prophet, to the royal offender. 
2. Sam. xii. 12. — " Thou didst it secretly; but I will do this 
thing before all Israel, and before the sun." 

5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my 
mother conceive me. 

The divine mercy is implored by the penitent, fourthly, 
because that alone can dry up the fountain of original cor- 
ruption, from which the streams of actual transgression 
derive themselves ; and which is here only lamented as their 
cause, not alleged as their excuse ; seeing that the greater 
our danger is of falling, the greater should be our care to 
stand. David was the offspring of the marriage bed, which 
is declared to be " honourable and undefiled." No more, 
therefore, can be intended here, than that a creature, begotten 
by a sinner, and formed in the womb of a sinner, cannot be 
without that taint, which is hereditary to every son and 
daughter of Adam and Eve.* 

6. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward part, Heb. 
the reins ; and in the hidden parts thou shalt make, or, hast 
made me know wisdom. 

* And so much must surely be intended, as the learned Bossuet ob- 
serveth — Numquid David de adulterio natus erat ? De Jesse viro justo 
natus erat, et conjuge ipsius. Quid ergo se dicit in iniquitate conceptum, 
nisi quia suscepit personam humani generis, et attendit omnium vincula 
propaginem mortis, originem iniquitatis advertit ? 



DAY X. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



203 



The force of " Behold," is — " It is too plain ; I feel it but 
too sensibly ; the punishment I suffer is evidence sufficient, 
that thou art not contented with a superficial appearance of 
goodness : thou lovest truth and sincerity in the bottom of 
the heart." This God was now teaching him, by the cor- 
rection he made him suffer. The punishment inflicted 
tended to give him a right understanding of things, and to 
work it deep into him. — Mudge. 

7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; wash me, 
and I shall be whiter than snow. 

He therefore petitioneth, in this verse, for the purification 
which cometh from God only, through the one great propi- 
tiatory sacrifice, by the Holy Spirit ; and which was fore- 
shown under the law, by the ceremony of sprinkling the 
unclean person with a bunch of " hyssop," dipped in the 
" water of separation." This right is described, Numb. xix. 
and explained, Heb. ix. 13, 14. — "If the blood of bulls and 
of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, 
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more 
shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, 
offered himself without spot to Gocl, purge your conscience 
from dead works to serve the living God !" From the latter 
part of the verse we learn, that by grace and mercy, the 
pardoned penitent is arrayed in garments no less pure and 
splendid than those of innocence itself. 

8. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which 
thou hast broken may rejoice. 

Next to the blessing of forgiveness, is to be desired that 
joy and comfort in the conscience, which forgiveness only can 
inspire : the effect of this, in repairing the vigour of the spirit, 
decayed through sorrow and anguish, is compared to setting 
broken bones, and restoring them again to perfect strength. 
At the resurrection of the body, this petition will be granted 
in a literal sense, when the " bones" that are mouldered into 
dust, shall " rejoice and flourish as an herb." — Isa. lxvi. 14. 

9. Hide thy face from my sins ; and blot out all mine 
iniquities. 

The soul, still restless and uneasy, reiterates her request, 
that God would not only cease to behold her iniquity for the 
present, as a man, who turneth away his face from a writing, 
but that he would not behold it more, as a man who blotteth 
out what is written, so that it can never be read again. 



204 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LI. 



10. Create in me a clean hearty O God ; and renew a 
right, or, constant spirit within me. 

The purification and renovation of the heart and spirit of 
man is a work to which that power only is equal, which, in 
the beginning, created all things, and, in the end, will create 
all things new. — "A right spirit is renewed within us," 
when the affections turn from the world to God, and charity 
takes the place of concupiscence. 

11. Cast me not away from thy presence ; and take not 
thy Holy Spirit from me. 

The soul that is truly penitent, dreads nothing but the 
thought of being rejected from the " presence," and deserted 
by the " Spirit" of God. This is the most deplorable and 
irremediable effect of sin ; but it is one, that in general 
perhaps is the least considered and regarded, of all others. 

12. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation : and uphold 
me with thy free, or, princely, or, libei^al Spirit. 

David prayeth to God to restore to him the unspeakable 
joy of that salvation, which, as a prophet, he had so often 
contemplated, and celebrated in his divine compositions; he 
prayeth also to be preserved and continued in that state of 
salvation by the Spirit of God, which might enable him to 
act as became a prophet and a king, free from base desires, 
and enslaving lusts. 

13. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners 
shall be converted unto thee. 

He that would employ his abilities, his influence, and his 
authority, in the reformation of others, must take care to 
reform himself, before he enters upon the work. " When 
thou art converted," said Christ to St. Peter, " strengthen 
thy brethren." — Luke xxii. 32. The history of David has 
" taught" us many useful lessons; such as the frailty of 
man, the danger of temptation, the torment of sin, the nature 
and efficacy of repentance, the mercy and the judgments of 
God, &c. by which many " sinners" have in all ages since 
been "converted," and many more will be converted, so 
long as the scriptures shall be read, and the 51st Psalm 
recited in the church. 

14. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of 
my salvation : and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righte- 
ousness. 

The unhappy criminal entreats, in this verse, for the divine 



DAY X. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



205 



help and deliverance, as if he not only heard the voice of 
innocent blood crying from the ground, but as if he saw the 
murdered Uriah coming upon him for vengeance, like an 
armed man. If he can but obtain the pardon of this sin, he 
promises to publish to all the world the righteousness of God, 
who justifieth sinners, and showeth mercy to the penitent ; 
though he must, at the same time, publish likewise his own 
heinous and horrid wickedness. 

15. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall shew 
forth thy praise. 

The mouth which sin hath closed, can only be opened by 
pardon : and to show this, he who came, conferring pardon, 
caused the tongue of the dumb to speak, and to sing praises 
to the Lord God of Israel. Our church, with great propriety, 
daily maketh her prayer in the words of this verse, before 
she entereth upon that part of her service, which consisteth 
of praise and thanksgiving. 

16. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; 
thou delightest not in burnt-offering. 17. The sacrifices of 
God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O 
God, thou wilt not despise. 

David, in this Psalm, is so evangelical, and has his thoughts 
so fixed upon gospel remission, that he considers the levitical 
sacrifices as already abolished, for their insufficiency to take 
away sin ; affirming them to be (as indeed they were) 
nothing, in the sight of God, if compared with the sacrifice 
of the body of sin, offered by contrition and mortification, 
through faith in Him, who, in the fulness of time, was to die 
unto sin once, that we, together with him, might for ever 
live unto God. 

18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion ; build thou 
the walls of Jerusalem. 

The king forgets not to ask mercy for his people, as well 
as for himself ; that so neither his own nor their sins might 
prevent either the building and flourishing of the earthly 
Jerusalem, or, what was of infinitely greater importance, the 
promised blessing of Messiah, who was to descend from him, 
and to rear the walls of the New Jerusalem. And thus it 
ought to be the fervent prayer of every man, especially if 
he be placed in any exalted station, ecclesiastical or civil, 
that no sins, by him committed, may any way prejudice 
others, or obstruct the edification of the church. 



206 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LIT. 



19. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of 
righteousness, with burnt-offering, and whole burnt offering; 
then shall they offer bullocks upon thine' altar. 

This had its literal accomplishment, when Jerusalem was 
finished ; when the temple was erected on Mount Sion ; 
and when the Lord graciously vouchsafed to accept the 
sacrifices there offered on his holy altars, by king Solomon, 
at the head of his faithful and devout people. It is spiri- 
tually true in the Christian church, where the substance of 
all the Mosaic types and shadows is offered and presented 
to the Father, by the Prince of Peace, at the head of the 
Israel of God. And it will be eternally verified in the 
kingdom of heaven, where the sacrifices of righteousness 
and love, of praise and thanksgiving, will never cease to 
be offered to him that sitteth on the throne, by the church 
triumphant in glory. 



PSALM Lit. 

ARGUMENT. 

In the person of Doeg the Edomite, who was the persecutor of David, and 
the murderer of the priests, are described, 1 — 4. the enemies of the 
truth and the church in all ages ; whose utter destruction from the pre- 
sence of the Lord is foretold ; 5. with the exultation of the righteous 
over them ; 6, 7. these last rejoice, 8. in their flourishing state under 
grace, 9. in hope of future glory, through faith and patience. 

1. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief O mighty man ? 
The goodness of God endureth continually. 

" The Psalmist thought it strange," says the pious and 
ingenious Norris, " that any man should value himself for 
being able to do mischief, when God esteemed it his glory 
to do good." In vain did Doeg the Edomite boast himself, 
in the mischief he had done, by massacring the innocent 
priests and their families; since "the goodness of God," 
which is "unchangeable," had decreed the preservation of 
David. As vainly did Herod the Idumean, or Edomite, 
glory in the slaughter of the Bethlehemitish infants, since 
heaven had determined, that the child Jesus should not be 
one of the number. A persecution may produce martyrs ; 
but the gates of hell are not to prevail against the church. 



DAY X. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 207 

2. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs : like a sharp razor 
working deceitfully. 

The mischief done to religion by men of Doeg's turn, is 
done by the tongue, before it is done by the hand ; it is 
planned leisurely, and executed speedily and deceitfully.* 

3. Thou lovest evil more than good : and lying rathei 
than to speak righteous?iess. 4. Thou lovest all devouring 
words, O thou deceitful tongue. 

As the Christian spirit delighteth itself in goodness, truth, 
and charity, so the antichristian spirit is here characterized 
by its offending, not out of ignorance, or inadvertence, but 
mere love of wickedness, falsehood, and malice. To this 
pitch many have arrived ; and who, that enters upon a 
course of sin, can say, that he shall stop short of it ? 

5. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever ; he shall cast 
thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place, and 
root thee out of the land of the living. 

Wonderful is the force of the verbs in the original, which 
convey to us the four ideas of " laying prostrate, dissolving 
as by fire, sweeping away as with a besom, and totally ex- 
tirpating root and branch," as a tree is eradicated from the 
spot on which it grew. If a farther comment be wanted, it 
may be found in the history of David's enemies, and the 
crucifiers of the Son of David : but the passage will be 
fulty and finally explained by the destruction of the world 
of the ungodly at the last day. 

6. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh 
at him, saying, 7. Lo, this is the man that made not God 
his strength : but trusted in the abundance of his riches, 
and strengthened himself in his wickedness. 

Such shall be the triumph of Messiah, and of all his faith- 
ful servants with him, over the enemies of man's salvation, 
at that hour, when, the world being in flames, the confidence 
that hath been placed in it, must perish for evermore. 

8. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God : 
I will trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. 

* " Sicut novacula acuta" — quae cum tangere leniter et tantum radere 
videretur, alte infigitur, ac velut blandiendi specie vulnerat : ita Doeg cum 
Achimelech in tabernaculo Domini amicitise pietatisque specie versatus, 
foedo indicio viros optimos prodidit. 1 Reg. xxi. 7. xxii. 9. — Bossuet. 
So Mudge — " Working treacherously," that is, Thy tongue is like a sharp 
razor, that cuts one's throat before one is aware of it. 



208 A COMMENTARY [PS. LIU. 

The representative of Messiah portrays himself, as the 
reverse of Doeg and the wicked, in terms applicable like- 
wise to his great original. He was in the house of God, 
they were in the world ; he was as a fruitful olive tree, 
they were as barren and unprofitable wood ; he was to be 
daily more and more strengthened, established, settled, and 
increased, they were to be cast down, broken, swept away, 
and extirpated : and all this, because he had trusted in 
the mercy of God ; they in the abundance of their riches. 
We Gentiles were branches of the wild "olive," but are 
now grafted into the good one : Lord, make us to flourish 
and bear fruit, in thy immortal "courts," world without 
end ! 

9. / will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it ; 
and I will wait on thy name, for it is good* before thy 
saints. 

Faith foresees salvation, and anticipates the day of victory 
and triumph ; in the mean time, while she waiteth patiently 
for its coming, she refresheth and comforteth herself with 
frequent meditation on the virtue and power of that saving 
"name," which is "as ointment poured forth;" by the 
fragrance of its odours inviting and alluring innumerable 
converts to run after their beloved Redeemer, in the way of 
his commandments. 



TENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LIII. 

This Psalm is in a manner the same with Psalm xiv. except that there is 
some difference in ver. 5. for which, as well as for the explanation of 
the whole, the reader is referred to the comment on Ps. xiv. 



* It is a " goodly thing," it carries a good appearance, it looks well 
before the friends of God, to see me praising him, and putting my trust in 
him. — Mudge. 



DA Y X. E. P.J 



OX THE PSALMS. 



209 



PSALM LIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, as it has been supposed, when betrayed by the Ziphites, and sur- 
rounded by Saul, 1, 2. committeth his cause, and preferreth his prayer 
-to God; 3. complaineth of his cruel treatment; 4, 5. expresseth his 
assurance of the divine favour, and the destruction of his enemies. 
6, 7. Being delivered from his danger, he blesseth and praiseth God. 
— See the history, 1 Sam. xxiii. The application to Christ, and to 
Christians, is plain and easy ; for which reason, our church hath 
appointed this Psalm to be read on Good Friday. 

1. Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me in thy 
strength. 2. Hear my prayer, O God ; give ear to the 
words of my mouth. 

Happy the man to whom, in the day of trouble, the 
"name of the Lord is a strong tower," into which "he 
runneth, and is safe." — Pro v. xviii. 10. Happy the man 
that can, with an holy confidence, commit his cause to the 
judgment and determination of God, and expect redress 
from the Almighty. His prayer mounteth up to heaven, 
and returneth not without a blessing. 

3. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors 
seek after my soul : they have not set God before them. 

The Ziphites, though David's countrymen, acted the part 
of "strangers," or "aliens," in seeking to deliver him up 
to his unjust and cruel enemy. Such a part did the whole 
Jewish nation act toward their anointed Prince and Saviour, 
when they actually delivered him over to the Roman power. 
And the church frequently meeteth with such treatment at 
the hands of her children, as she had reason to expect only 
from " strangers to the covenant of promise." Something- 
like this always happens, when men, instead of setting God, 
set the world before their eyes, 

4. Behold, God is mine helper ; the Lord is with them that 
uphold my soul. 5. He shall reward evil to mine enemies ; 
cut them off, or, thou shalt cut them off, in thy truth. 

In all clangers and difficulties, whether temporal or spi- 
ritual, the faithful sons and servants of God fix their eyes 
upon their heavenly Father and gracious Master : they have 
recourse to the divine promises, the performance of which 
they know to be certain, and therefore, can foresee and 

p 



210 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LV. 



foretell the destruction of their enemies. Thus David, and a 
greater than David, supported themselves in their troubles ; 
and the church, with her children, must do likewise. 

6. / will freely sacrifice unto thee ; I will praise thy 
name, O Lord, for it is good. 7. For he hath delivered me 
out of all my trouble : and mine eye hath seen his desire, 
Heb. mine eye hath looked upon mine enemies. 

Saul, under the direction of the Ziphites, having encom- 
passed David on every side, was suddenly called off to defend 
his country from an invasion of the Philistines ; by which 
means David escaped, and " beheld his enemies " retreating. 
— 1 Sam. xxiii. 27. For this event he offers the sacrifice of 
a heart freed from fear, and praises the name of his great 
Deliverer. Christians should follow his example : they 
should consider how great things God hath done for them, 
and should never suffer the voice of praise and thanksgiving 
to cease in the church of the Redeemed. Beautiful and 
emphatical will these two concluding verses appear, when 
conceived as proceeding from the mouth of our Lord, upon 
his resurrection. And we hope one day to repeat them on 
a like occasion, saying, each in his own person : — " I will 
freely sacrifice unto thee ; I will praise thy name, O Lord, 
for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all my 
trouble, and mine eye hath looked upon mine enemies."' 



PSALM LV. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, as it is supposed, when driven out of Jerusalem by the rebellion 
of Absalom, and in danger of being suddenly cut off, 1 — 8. maketh his 
prayer to God, and describeth the sorrowful state of his soul; 9 — 11. 
entreateth that the iniquitous counsels of the rebels may be divided and 
confounded; 12 — 15. upbraideth Ahitophel, the Judas of those times, 
with his foul treason; 14 — 19. foretelleth the tragical end of faction, 
and his own re-establishment through faith in God ; notwithstanding 
the base treachery of his favourite son and favourite servant. 

1. Give ear to my prayer, O God ; and hide not thyself 
from my petition. 2. Attend unto me, and hear me; I 
mourn in my complaint, Heb. am dejected in my meditation, 
and make a noise ; Heb. am in a violent tumultuous agitation, 
as the waves of the sea. 



DAY X. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



211 



In the person of David, driven from his throne, and put 
in fear of his life by Absalom and Ahitophel, we here behold 
our blessed Redeemer, on the day of his sufferings, praying 
earnestly, and repeating his supplications, as in the garden 
of Gethsemane, at the prospect of that sea of sorrows which 
was then about to overwhelm his agonizing soul. In all our 
afflictions he was afflicted : in all his afflictions let us be so. 

3. Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the op- 
pression of the wicked : for they cast iniquity upon me , and 
in wrath they hate me. 

O my God, how can we repine and murmur at any op- 
pression and calumny which we suffer from the world, when 
we see, not only thy servant David, but thy Son Jesus, thus 
hated, slandered, and persecuted by their own subjects, 
and their own children 1 

4. My heart is sore pained within me; and the terrors of 
death are fallen upon me. 5. Fearfulness and trembling 
are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. 

These words describe the state of David's mind, when 
he went over the brook Cedron, and up Mount Olivet, 
"weeping as he went," and expecting speedily to be cut 
off; 2 Sam. xv. 23, 30. they describe the agony of the Son 
of David, when he likewise went over the same brook Cedron, 
John xviii. I. at the time of his passion, when his soul was 
*' £ sore amazed and very heavy, and exceeding sorrowful, 
even unto death."' — Mark xiv. 33, 34. And every man 
will too surely find them applicable to himself, if not often 
before, yet certainly in the day, when the king of terrors 
shall draw up all his forces in array against him. 

6. And I said, O that I had wings Tike a dove ; for then 
would I fy away, and be at rest. 7. Lo then would I 
wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. 8. I ivould 
hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. 

The calamitous situation of the Israelitish monarch, 
forced from him a wish, that like the bird of innocence and 
peace, he could in a moment banish himself from the dis- 
tractions of his rebellious kingdom, and enjoy, in holy 
solitude, that repose which his sceptre and his guards were 
not able to procure him. There are few crowned heads, 
perhaps, which have not more than once found occasion to 
form, if not to utter, a wish of the same nature. Much 
more must it have been the wish of that King of Israel, 

p 2 



212 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LV. 



whose crown was literally one of thorns ; and it often will 
be the wish of the devout Christian, who, sensible of the 
sins and follies that overspread the earth, is taught to 
aspire after his heavenly country, and to delight in that 
resemblance of it which the closet best affords. 

9. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have 
seen violence and strife in the city. 

In these words, king David beseecheth God to divide, 
confound, and bring to nothing the counsels of an iniquitous 
and rampant faction ; for so, in the history, we find him 
saying, " O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahitophel 
into foolishness." — 2 Sam. xv. 31. The royal prayer was 
heard ; the counsel of Ahitophel was overthrown by Hushi, 
and the disappointed traitor became his own executioner. 
The treason of Judas, against the son of David, brought 
him likewise to the same end. Every one who finds himself 
tempted to betray the cause of his prince, or his Saviour, 
should set these two examples before his eyes. 

10. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof ; 
mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. 1 1 . Wicked- 
ness is in the midst thereof; deceit and guile depart not 
from her streets. 

The violence and strife, mentioned at the conclusion of 
the preceding verse, are here described as going their 
rounds, like an armed watch, upon the walls, to guard 
rebellion, which had taken up its residence in the heart of 
the city, from the attacks of loyalty, right, and justice, 
driven with the king beyond Jordan. Thus from the same 
city was righteousness afterward expelled, in the person 
of the King of Righteousness, and nothing left but "mischief, 
and sorrow, wickedness, deceit, and guile," encompassed 
with a guard of " violence and strife." Whether the state 
of the Gentile Christian church, in the last days, will not 
too much resemble that of Jerusalem before its destruction, 
is a matter of sad and sorrowful consideration. 

12. For it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I 
could have borne it : neither was it he that hated me, that did 
magnify himself against me, then I would have hid myself 
from him. 13. But it was thou, a man, mine equal, my 
guide ; Heb. my disciple, and mine acquaintance. 14. We 
took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of 
God in company. 



DAY X. E. P.J 



OX THE PSALMS. 



213 



The many aggravating circumstances of Ahitophel's trea- 
son against David, and that of Judas against Christ, are here 
strongly marked. The treachery of pretended friends is 
generally to the church, as it was to her Lord, the beginning 
of sorrows. Ingratitude, malice, and falsehood, are ingre- 
dients that must always meet in the composition of a traitor. 

15. Lei death seize upon them, or, death shall remove, or, 
take them away, and let them, or, they shall go down quick 
into hell : for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. 

In these words is predicted the tragical fate of Ahitophel, 
and those who followed Absalom ; of Judas and the Jews ; 
and of all, who shall resemble them in wickedness. The 
sudden destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who, for 
stirring up a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, " went 
down alive into the pit,"' seems here alluded to, as the grand 
representation of the manner in which the bottomless pit 
shall one day shut her mouth for ever upon all the impeni- 
tent enemies of the true King of Israel, and great High 
Priest of our profession. 

16. As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall 
save me. 17. Evening, and morning, and at noon will L 
"pray, and cry aloud : and he shall hear my voice. 

Prayer is the believer's universal medicine for all the 
disorders of the soul within, and his invincible shield against 
every enemy that can attack him from without. " Morning, 
evening, and noon," were three of the hours of prayer in 
the Jewish church. We find holy Daniel observing them in 
Babylon, notwithstanding the royal decree, which made it 
death for him so to do. The event fully justified him, and 
showed the power of true devotion, whose high prerogative 
it still is, to save the righteous from the mouth of the lion. — 
See Dan. vi. 10. 22. 2 Tim. iv. 17. 1 Pet. v. 8. 

18. He hath delivered, or, shall deliver my soul in peace 
from the battle that was, or, is against me ; for there were, 
or, are many with me. 

David was delivered in peace, when, after having sup- 
pressed the rebellion, he was brought back in triumph to 
his capital ; the son of David was delivered in peace, when, 
victorious over the enemies of man's salvation, he arose 
from the dead, and returned to the Jerusalem above ; the 
believing soul is delivered in peace, when her sins are for- 
given, and her corruptions mortified ; and the bodies of the 



214 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LY. 



saints shall be delivered in peace, at the resurrection of the 
just. The ground of all these deliverances is one and the 
same — " They that are with us are more than they that are 
against us." — 2 Kings vi. 16. "Greater is he that is in us, 
than he that is in the world." — 1 John iv. 4. 

19. God shall hear, and afflict, or, humble them, even he 
that abideth of old. Because they have no changes, therefore 
they fear not God ; or, because they will not be converted, 
and fear God. 

He who inhabiteth eternity, remaining unchangeably the 
same, from everlasting to everlasting, hath determined to 
hear the prayers of his faithful servants, and finally to 
humble the pride of his unrepenting adversaries. These 
are the decrees which he hath thought fit to promulgate ; 
and on them we may safely depend. 

20. He hath put forth his hands against such as be, or, 
were at peace with him ; he hath broken his covenant. 

The prophet goes on to describe the perfidy of traitors, 
like Ahitophel and Judas. Every wilful and malicious sinner 
" puts forth his hand against" the person who is " at peace 
with him," nay, who "made his peace" with the Father, and, 
by so doing, "breaketh the covenant," into which by baptism 
he was admitted. O blessed Jesus, how often do we betray 
thee to thine enemies, our own lusts, and consider it not ? 

21. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, 
but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oiL 
yet were they drawn swords. 

* Of this complexion are the cant of hypocrites, the charity 
of bigots and fanatics, the benevolence of atheists, the pro- 
fessions of the world, the allurements of the flesh, and the 
temptations of Satan, when he thinks proper to appear in 
the character of an angel of light. 

22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain 
thee ; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. 

The conclusion of the whole matter is, that, amidst all 
dangers and adversities, whensoever they oppress us, we are 
to put our full trust and confidence only in his mercy, who 
delivered David, and the Son of David, out of all their 
troubles. He, who once bore the burden of our sorrows, 
requested of us, that we would now and ever permit him 
to bear the burden of our cares ; that as he knoweth 
what is best for us, he may provide it accordingly. When 



DAY XI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



215 



shall we trust Christ to govern the world which he hath 
redeemed ? 

23. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit 
of destruction : bloody and deceitful men shall not live out 
half their days : but I will trust in thee, 

O terrible voice of most just judgment, pronounced 
against rebels and murderers ! Of the sure and certain 
execution of this righteous sentence who can doubt, that 
considers the fate of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram • of 
Absalom, Ahitophel, and Judas ; and, above all, of the city 
which contained within its walls those rebels, and mur- 
derers, of the Son of God ? Let us trust for ever in Him 
alone, who can thus deliver, and thus destroy. 



ELEVENTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, in danger from the Philistines, among whom he was driven, as 
well as from Saul and his associates, is supposed to, 1, 2. make suppli- 
cation to God, in whom, 3, 4. he placeth all his hope and confidence, 
5 — 7. of being saved from the wiles and stratagems of the adversary; 
8, 9. he comforteth himself with the consideration, that God taketh 
account of his sufferings, and will appear on his behalf; 10, 11. he 
repeateth the declaration of his faith in the divine promises; and, 
12, 13. concludeth with paying his tribute of praise and thanksgiving. 
What David was in Philistia, the disciples of the Son of David are in 
the world. 

1. Be merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow 
me up ; he fighting daily oppresseth me. 2. Mine enemies 
would daily swallow me up, for they be many that fight 
against me, O thou Most High. 

The same words are applicable to the situation and cir- 
cumstances of David, pursued by his enemies ; of Christ, 
persecuted by the Jews ; of the church, afflicted in the 
world ; and of the soul, encompassed by enemies, against 
whom she is forced to wage perpetual war. 

3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4. In 
God I will praise, or, glory in his word, in God I have put 
my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. 



216 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LVI. 



Whoever, like the prophet Elisha's servant, beholdeth 
only the forces of the enemy, will be apt, like him, to cry 
out, "Alas, my master, how shall we do ?" — 2 Kings vi. 15, 
But when our eyes are "opened," to see those " horses and 
chariots of fire," which are "round about us;" when we 
perceive the promises of the Word, and the mighty succours 
of the Spirit, which are all on our side, we no^nger fear 
the terrors or the temptations of flesh and blood ; but find 
ourselves enabled to do, and to suffer all things, through 
faith in Him who strengthened us to the battle. " He hath 
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ;" so that we 
may boldly say, " The Lord is my helper, and I will not 
fear what man shall do unto me." — Heb. xiii. 5, 6. 

5. Every day they wrest my words ; all their thoughts are 
against me for evil. 6. They gather themselves together ; 
they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait 
for my soul. 

These words could not be more literally descriptive of the 
behaviour of David's persecutors than they certainly are of 
that conduct, which the scribes and pharisees observed 
toward our blessed Lord ; when, like serpents by the way 
side, they " marked his steps ;" till a proper opportunity 
offered to dart from their lurking-place, and " bruise his 
heel." We think it hard, when men use us in this manner ; 
but surely we either forget that the Son of God was so used 
before us, or that we are his disciples. 

7. Shall they escape by iniquity ? In thine anger cast 
down the people, O God. 

The signal vengeance inflicted on the enemies of David, 
of Christ, and of the church, in different ages, may serve to 
convince us, that if we would " escape," it must be from 
sin. not by it. 

8. Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears into 
thy bottle ; are they not in thy book ? 

Known unto God are all the afflictions of his servants ; 
while, banished, like David, from their abiding city and 
country, they "wander" here below, in the land of their 
pilgrimage. The "tears" of penitence are had in remem- 
brance, and, as so many precious gems, will one day adorn 
their crown. How dear, then, in the sight of God, were the 
"wanderings " and the " tears " of the holy Jesus, submitting 
to perform penance for those sins which he never committed ! 



DAY XI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



217 



9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn 
back : this I know, for God is for me. 

What can we possibly desire more than this assurance, 
that, how many, or how formidable soever our enemies may 
be, yet there is one'always ready to appear in our defence, 
whose power no creature is able to resist. " This I know," 
saith David ; and had we the faith of David, we should 
know it too. 

10. In God will I praise his word ; in the Lord will I 
praise his word. 11. In God have I put my trust ; I will 
not be afraid what man can do unto me. — See above, on 
ver. 4. 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God ; I will render 
praises unto thee. 13. For thou hast delivered my soul from 
death ; wilt not thou deliver my feet, or, my feet also, or, 
assuredly, from falling, that I may walk before God, in the 
light of the living. 

At the conclusion of this Psalm, and of many others, the 
prophet speaketh of his deliverance, as actually accom- 
plished; he acknowledged himself under the obligation of 
the vows made to God in the night of affliction, which he is 
resolved to pay on the morning of triumph and jubilee. 
O come that glorious morning, when the redeemed shall 
sing eternal praises to the Lord God of their salvation, for 
having " delivered their souls from death, and their feet 
from falling, that they may walk before him, in the light 
of the living ! " 



PSALM LVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is said to have been composed by David, on occasion of his 
escape from Saul, in the cave at Engedi. — See 1 Sam. xxiv. 3. And 
the church, by her appointment of it as one of the proper Psalms for 
Easter day, hath instructed us to transfer the ideas to the resurrection 
of Christ from the grave. The Psalm containeth, 1 — 3. an act of faith 
in the promises ; 4. a description of grievous sufferings ; 5. a prayer 
for the exaltation of God's glory, which is repeated again at the con- 
clusion ; 6. a prediction of judgment on the adversary ; 7 — 10. a strain 
of the highest exultation and jubilee. 

1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for 
y soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy icings 
ill I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 



218 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LVII. 



David, encompassed by his enemies at Engedi, putteth 
up this prayer to God ; the same prayer we may suppose 
to have been used by our blessed Lord, when drawing 
near to the grave, and gate of death : and the church ever 
continueth the use of it, until she be delivered from the 
bondage of corruption. In the mean time, she teacheth 
her children to put themselves, living, and dying, under 
the protection of Him, who is always ready to " gather 
them, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings." 
There they may rest in peace and security. 

2. I will cry unto God Most High; unto God that per- 
formeth all things for me. 

David cried unto God, and was delivered out of the hand 
of Saul ; the Son of David cried unto God, and was deli- 
vered from the power of the grave : the saints on earth cry 
unto God, and shall be delivered out of their troubles ; the 
souls under the altar in heaven cry unto God, Rev. vi. 10. 
and shall obtain a reunion with their bodies. Thus God 
"performeth all things for us," as well as for David. " 

3. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the 
reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send 
forth his mercy and truth. 

We have all an enemy, who would " swallow us up ; and 
we look for the manifestation of the divine mercy and truth " 
from "heaven," for the salvation of our souls, and the 
redemption of our bodies. A grand specimen of this 
manifestation was exhibited to the world, on that glorious 
morning, when Jesus Christ arose from the dead. 

4. My soul is among lions, and I lie even among them 
that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are 
spears and arrows, and their tongues a sharp sword. 

The fiercest of beasts, the most devouring of elements, 
and the sharpest of military weapons, are selected, to repre- 
sent the power and fury of David's enemies. How much 
stronger, and more furious, were the enemies of Christ, 
who, in the day of his passion, resembled Daniel in the 
lions' den, the three children in the fiery furnace, and who 
stood alone, exposed to the assaults of men and evil spirits ! 

5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens ; let thy 
glory be above the earth. 

God is exalted and glorified among men by the display 
of mercy and judgment, in the salvation of his children from 



DAY XL M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



219 



the hands of their enemies. But chiefly was he exalted, 
when, having raised up his Son Jesus, he set him at his 
own right hand, far above all principalities and powers, 
and every thing that is named, in heaven, and in earth. 
This was the great exaltation, prefigured, foretold, and 
incessantly prayed for, in the ancient church. 

6. They have prepared a net for my steps, my soul is 
bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the 
midst whereof they are fallen, or, shall fall themselves. 

David compares himself, 1 Sam. xxvi. 20. to a bird upon 
the mountains, which the fowler endeavoureth to hunt into 
the nets and snares, set up and prepared for its destruction. 
So was that most innocent dove, the holy Jesus, persecuted 
by the Jews, until they had driven him into the snares of 
death, and laid him low in the grave. But the enemies of 
both received, in the end, the due reward of their deeds, 
and "fell into the pit they had digged." 

7. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will 
sing and give praise. 

At the prospect of approaching deliverance, the prophet, 
in the person of Christ, declareth his heart to be fixed and 
established, steclfast and unmoveable in the midst of trouble, 
even then preparing to celebrate its future enlargement 
with songs of praise. 

8. Awake up, my glory, awake psaltery and harp : I 
myself will awake early, or, awaken the morning. 

For this "purpose, he calls upon his tongue, with all his 
instruments of music, all the organs of the body, and affec- 
tions of the soul, to unite their powers in sweetest harmony 
and concert, and to awaken the sluggish morning with the 
voice of melody, sounding forth the glories of redemption. 
Thus should the morning be ever celebrated, on which 
Christ " arose from the dead, and became the first fruits 
of them that slept." 

9. / will praise thee, O Lord, among the people ; I will 
sing unto thee among the nations. 10. For thy mercy is 
great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. 

The resurrection of Jesus from the grave, foreshadowed 
in the deliverance of David from the hand of Saul, was a 
transaction which caused the heavens, and all the powers 
therein, to extol the mercy and the truth of God. The 
nations of the earth, whose are the benefits and the blessings 



220 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LVIII. 



of that transaction, are therefore bound evermore to make 
it the subject of their praises and thanksgivings ; which is 
done by the members of our church, every Easter-day, in 
the words of this very Psalm. 

11. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens ; let thy 
glory be above all the eai^th. 

Even so, be thou still exalted, O blessed Jesu, above the 
heavens, while the angels sing their hallelujahs on high : 
and let thy glory be above all the earth ; while, in psalms, 
and hymns, and spiritual songs, the congregations of the 
redeemed incessantly magnify thy salvation below. 

The church triumphant, and the church below, 
In songs of praise their present union show : 
Their joys are full, our expectation long; 
In life we differ, but we join in song. 
Angels, and we, assisted by this art, 
May sing together, though we dwell apart. 

Waller on " Divine Poesie." 



PSALM LVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In the persons of Saul, and his iniquitous counsellors, the enemies of Christ 
and the church, 1, 2. are reproved, and, 3 — 5. their malice is described, 
by comparing it to the poison of serpents, which are proof against 
every art made use of to tame them ; 6 — 9. the destruction of the 
wicked is foretold, and illustrated by six similitudes; 10. the triumph 
of the righteous is likewise predicted; as also, 11. the effect it will 
produce, in manifesting to all the world, the providence and glory 
of God. 

1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? 
Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men ? 2. Yea, in heart 
you work wickedness ; you weigh the violence of your hands, 
or, your hands frame violence, in the earth. 

The proceedings of Doeg, and other associates of Saul, 
against David ; those of Judas and the Sanhedrim, against 
our Lord ; and those of wicked princes, and court syco- 
phants, in different ages, against the faith and the church ; 
as they spring from the same principles, so they flow pretty 
much in the same channel. Such men may here see their 
characters drawn, and their end foretold. 



DAY XI. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



221 



3. The wicked are estranged from the womb : they go 
astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. 

The tares sown by the enemy, in human nature, appear 
early: and show us, how far we are " estranged " from 
original truth and righteousness. What can be expected, 
unless grace and discipline prevent it, but that " out of the 
serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit 
shall be a fiery flying serpent ? " 

4. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent ; they are 
like the deaf adder, that stoppeth her ear : 5. Which will not 
hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. 

The wicked are here compared to serpents, for that ma- 
lignity in their tempers, which is the venom and poison of 
the intellectual world. And whereas there are some kinds 
even of serpents, which by musical sounds, may, for a time, 
as it is said, be disarmed of their rage, and rendered so tame 
as to be handled without danger ; # yet the evil dispositions 
of some men, like those of one particular species of the 
serpentine race, are often invincible. The enmity of a 
Saul was proof against the heavenly strains of the Son of 
Jesse ; and He, who spake as " never man spake." was 
stung to death by a "generation of vipers." 

6. Break, or, thou wilt break their teeth, O God, in their 
mouths ; break, or, thou wilt break out the great teeth of 
the young lions, O Lord. 

The destruction of the wicked is represented under six 

*Bochart quotes several ancient authors, who mention this effect of 
music, and, among them, Virgil, iEneid, vii. v. 753. 

" Vipereo generi, et graviter spirantibus hydris 
Spargere qui somnos cantuque manuque solebat." 

The elder Scaliger, as quoted by the same learned critic, writes thus : — 
" Nos aliquando vidimus cantationibus e cavernis exciri serpentes :" and 
Mr. Boyle, in his Essay on the Great Effects of Languid Motion, p. 71. ed. 
1685, gives us the following passage, from Sir H. Blunt's Voyage into the 
Levant, p. 81. edit. 5. " Many rarities of living creatures I saw in Grand 
Cairo ; but the most ingenious was a nest of four-legged serpents, of two 
foot long, black and ugly, kept by a Frenchman, who, when he came to 
handle them, they would not endure him, but ran and hid in their hole; 
then would he take his cittern, and play upon it ; they, hearing his music, 
came all crawling to his feet, and began to climb up him, till he gave over 
playing ; then away they ran." The " deaf" adder may either be a ser- 
pent of a species naturally deaf, (for several such kinds are mentioned by 
Avicenne, as quoted by Bochart,) or one deaf by accident : in either case, 
she may be said, in the language of poetry, to " stop her ear," from her 
being proof to all the efforts of the charmer. — Merrick. 



222 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LVIII. 



similitudes. The first is that of breaking the teeth of lions, 
being the most terrible weapons of the most terrible animals. 
But what is human power, at its highest exaltation, if com- 
pared to that of God? The mountains of Gilboa can tell us, 
the desolated Zion can inform us, how the mighty are fallen and 
the weapons of war perished ! Because the mighty had exalted 
themselves, and the weapons of war had been lifted up, against 
truth and innocence, protected by the decrees of heaven. 

7. Let them, or, they shall melt away as waters which run 
continually, or, pass away ; when he bendeth his bow to shoot 
his arrows, let them, or, they shall be as cut in pieces. 

The second similitude used to illustrate the destruction of 
the wicked, is that of torrents and inundations, which de- 
scend, with great noise, from the mountains, and cover the 
face of a country ; but their cause soon ceasing to act, they 
run off, and appear no more ; herein affording a fine emblem 
of the weakness and instability of earthly power. The 
impotence of human efforts, against divine counsels, is com- 
pared, thirdly, to a man drawing a bow, when the arrow 
on the string is broken in two ; and therefore instead of 
flying to the mark, falls useless at his feet. 

8. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass 
away, like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not 
see the sun. Or, As a melting snail he shall pass away, as 
an abortion, they see not the sun. 

A snail, which, coming forth of his shell, marks his path 
with slime, continually losing some part of his substance in 
his progress ; and an abortion, which consumes away in the 
like manner ; these are the fourth and fifth images selected 
to represent the transient nature of worldly greatness, still 
wasting, till it comes to nothing ; and the miserable fate of 
those, who perish, with their half-formed devices, nor ever 
behold the Sun of Righteousness. 

9. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take 
them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his 
wrath ; or, he shall take them away alive, as with a whirl- 
wind, in his wrath. 

Wicked men have, in common with others, that tendency 
to decay, which is entailed on the world, and on all things 
therein ; but they are warned, by the sixth and last simili- 
tude, to prevent the judgments of the Almighty. These 
often break forth, like a whirlwind, or a thunder-storm, and 



DAY XI. £. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



223 



sweep away at once, in the flower of their strength, and the 
height of their prosperity, the tyrannical oppressors of the 
people of God ; whose short-lived glory, and sudden ex- 
tinction, are aptly represented by that crackling and mo- 
mentary blaze, which is produced by a fire, kindled among 
thorns under a pot. 

10. The righteous shall rejoice, when he seeth the ven- 
geance ; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked : 
11. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for 
the righteous : verily, he is, or, there is a God that judgeth 
in the earth. 

The victories of that Just One, gained in his own person, 
and in those of his faithful servants, over the enemies of 
man's salvation, are productive of a joy, which springeth 
not from love of revenge, but is inspired by a view of the 
divine mercy, justice, and truth, displayed in the redemption 
of the elect, the punishment of the ungodly, and the ac- 
complishment of the promises. Whoever duly weigheth 
and considereth these things, will diligently seek after the 
reward of righteousness, and humbly adore the providence, 
which ordereth all things aright, in heaven and earth. 



ELEVENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is said to have been composed on occasion of David's escape, 
when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. — See 1 Sam. 
xix. 11 — 18. David, in these, as in many other circumstances of his 
life, maybe considered as the representative of Messiah, 1, 2. praying 
to be delivered from the power of his blood-thirsty enemies, whose in- 
defatigable malice he, 3 — 7. describes; but, 8 — 10. predicts his own 
enlargement, through the tender mercy and mighty power of God ; as 
also, 11 — 15. the singular vengeance to be poured out upon his enemies, 
for their punishment, and the admonition of others. The Psalm con- 
cludes with a strain of exultation and thanksgiving. 

1. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God ; defend me 
Heb. exalt me from them that rise up against me. 2. Deliver 
me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. 



224 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LIX. 



In these words we hear the voice of David, when a pri- 
soner in his own house ; the voice of Christ, when sur- 
rounded by his merciless enemies ; the voice of the church, 
when under bondage in the world ; and the voice of the 
Christian, when under temptation, affliction, and persecution. 

3. For lo, they lie in wait for my soul; the mighty are 
gathered against me ; not for my transgression, nor for my 
sin, O Lord. 4. They run and prepare themselves without 
my faults ; awake to help me, and behold. 

The mighty men of Saul were gathered against David, 
who had been guilty of no offence against the king, and 
therefore, was, so far, innocent. The Jews and the Romans 
were gathered against Jesus Christ, who had committed no 
sin at all, and was perfectly innocent. And the world is 
oftentimes in arms against the children of God, only for 
doing what it is their duty to do. In all such cases, God 
is to be applied to, as the helper and avenger of those who 
suffer unjustly. 

5. Thou, therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of 
Tsrael, awake, or, thou shalt awake, to visit all the heathen : 
be not merciful, or, thou wilt not be merciful to any wicked 
transgressors. 

The prophet, in this verse, seemeth to respect that great 
day of final retribution, which is to succeed the day of 
grace, the accepted time of repentance and pardon. For 
then it is, that Jehovah shall awake, to judge the nations ; 
to reward every man according to his deeds ; and to banish 
for ever, from his presence, the impenitent workers of ini- 
quity. The malicious adversaries of David, and those of 
the Son of David, may not then find the mercy, so often by 
them rejected, in the days of their flesh. 

6. They return at evening ; they make a noise like a dog, 
and go round about the city. 

The emissaries of Saul, coming after David in the " even- 
ing," besetting his house, and blocking up the avenues, 
are compared to a set of hungry blood-hounds, in quest of 
their prey. But the picture is drawn likewise for that herd 
of evening wolves, who thirsted after the blood of the 
Lamb of God, on whom their mouths were opened, crying, 
" Crucify him ! crucify him ! " 

7. Behold, they belch, or, spout out with their mouth ; 
swords are in their lips, for who, say they, doth hear ? 



DAY XT. E. P.j 



ON THE PSALMS. 



225 



Out of the abundance of malice in the heart, the mouth 
will speak, like the cutting of a sword ; and the wicked 
take counsel against the just, as if there were no one above, 
who heard and regarded. 

8. But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them ; thou shalt 
have all the heathen in derision. 

These very expressions are used, in the 4th verse of the 
2d Psalm, to denote the futility of all the counsels entered 
into, by Jew and Gentile, against Messiah and his church. 
The Psalm before us seems evidently to relate to the same 
counsels, against the same blessed person, whatever part 
of king David's history might be the occasion of its being 
composed. 

9. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee ; for 
God is my defence, or, exaltation. 10. The God of my 
mercy shall prevent me ; God shall let me see my desire, 
Heb. look upon mine enemies. 

To the strength of the adversary the Psalmist opposeth 
that of God, which he foresaw would rescue him, and 
avenge his cause. In all our troubles let us do likewise ; 
and then, he who exalted David, and a greater than David, 
will in due time exalt us, and we shall look, without fear, 
upon our spiritual enemies. 

11. Slay them not, lest my people forget ; scatter them by 
thy power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. Or, 
Thou wilt not slay them — thou wilt scatter them, &c. 

The prophet in the person of Messiah, predicteth the 
singular fate of the Jews ; who, for their sins, were not 
extirpated, lest the Gentile Christians should " forget " 
their punishment, but were " scattered" among all nations, 
and degraded from the glorious privileges of that high 
rank in which they once stood. * Thus doth that people 
remain, at this day, a monument of God's vengeance against 
apostasy ; a beacon, set up, and kindled by the hand of 
heaven, as a warning to all Christian churches, that they 
split not on the same fatal rock. 

12. For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their 
lips, let them, or, they shall even be taken in their pride : 
and for cursing and lying, which they speak. 

* Prophetice, Christiani divinse ultionis oblivisci non possunt, dum 
Judsei excidio suo superstites, et ubique vagi, pcenam suam, et pariter, in 
testimonium, eloquia divina circumferunt. — Bossuet. 

Q 



226 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LIX. 



The causes of the Jews' dispersion are here assigned, viz. 
" the sin of their mouth" in " the words of their lips," or 
their " hard speeches " spoken against the Son of God, their 
slanders, lying accusations, and outrageous blasphemies, 
together with that horrid imprecation in which they in- 
volved their descendants ; who have groaned under the 
weight of it for near these 1700 years, and yet still continue 
to justify the deeds of their fathers, retaining that "pride" 
in their name, and long since forfeited privileges, which 
provoked the Romans to destroy their city and country. 

13. Consume them in thy wrath, consume them, or, thou 
shalt consume them, &c. that they may not, or, shall not be; 
and let them, or, they shall know, that God ruleth in Jacob 
unto the ends of the earth. 

This prediction was accomplished in the total subversion 
of Jerusalem by Titus, when the Jews, having no longer 
any city, temple, or civil polity, ceased to " be" as a nation. 
And they have seen enough to have convinced them, that 
God is the God, " not of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles 
also." The gospel hath been preached, idolatry hath been 
overthrown, the nations have been converted to the faith 
of Abraham, and that of David, whose Psalms are used 
throughout the world ; and God, who " ruled in Jacob, 
and was known in Jewry," now is known and ruleth "unto 
the ends of the earth;" for " they have seen the salvation," 
and submitted to the sceptre of King Messiah. 

14. And at evening let them, or, they shall return, and let 
them, or, they shall make a noise like a dog, and go round 
about the city. 15. Let them, or, they shall wander up and 
down for meat, and gi^udge, or, howl, if they be not satisfied. 

The punishment inflicted on the wicked often carries the 
mark of their crime. It is just that they who have thirsted 
after the blood of the righteous, should want a drop of 
water to cool their tongues; and the hunger of a dog is 
deservedly their plague, of whom a resemblance of that 
unclean animal's disposition hath been the sin. Such is 
the present condition of the Jews, excluded from the 
church, and suffering all the calamities of a spiritual 
famine ; and such will be the condition of all those who 
are to wail and lament in vain, without the holy city for 
evermore. — Rev. xxii. 15. 

16. But I will sing of tin/ votver ; yea, I will sing aloud 



DAY XI. E. P. ] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



227 



of thy mercy in the morning : for thou hast been my defence 
and refuge in the day of my trouble. 17. Unto thee, O my 
strength, will I sing : for God is my defence, and the God of 
my mercy. 

While the wicked murmur and repine at the dispensations 
of heaven, the righteous are employed in giving thanks and 
praises for the same ; and the " morning" which is to con- 
sign the former to the habitations of despair, where no 
sounds are heard but those of hideous wailings and horrid 
blasphemies, shall transport the latter to the mansions of 
felicity, resounding with incessant hallelujahs. 



PSALM LX. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is thought to have been composed by David, when, after his 
coming to the throne, the tribes of Israel had submitted to his sceptre, 
and he was engaged in the reduction of the adjacent countries. — See the 
history, 2 Sam. chap. v. and viii. 1 — 3. He describes what Israel had 
lately suffered, from foreign enemies and domestic feuds ; 4 — 6. he 
declareth himself appointed to conduct his people to victory and tri- 
umph, according to a divine prediction; 6, 7. he rejoiceth in the acces- 
sion of the other tribes to that of Judah, and, 8 — 12. sees Edom, 
Moab, and Philistia, already subdued by the mighty power of God. 
All this is now to be spiritually applied, in the Christian church, to the 
establishment and enlargement of Messiah's kingdom, prefigured by 
that of David. 

1. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, 
thou hast been displeased, O turn thyself to us again. 

When the church, by her sins, hath rejected God, she is 
rejected by him ; she is delivered into the hands of her 
enemies, and suffers persecution : when, by repentance 
and supplication, she returneth to him, he is ready to meet 
and receive her. The History of Israel is one continued 
exemplification of these most interesting truths. It should 
be the care and endeavour of every church, and every 
individual, to profit thereby. 

2. Thou hast made the earth, or, the land, to tremble ; 
thou hast broken it ; heal the breaches thereof for it shaketh. 

The persecutions of the Israelitish church often shook 
the "land" of promise ; the persecutions of the Christian 
church have frequently moved the whole earth. Afflic- 

Q 2 



228 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LX. 



tions of this kind may be likened to wounds sometimes 
made in a diseased body, by skilful surgeons, to be healed 
again, when, by a discharge of the corrupt humours, they 
have answered the end for which they were intended. 

3. Thou hast showed thy 'people hard things; thou hast 
made us to drink the wine of astonishment, or, intoxication. 

The Israelites had not only suffered " hard things " from 
their professed enemies the Philistines, by the overthrow of 
Saul and his army, but their civil dissensions at home showed 
that they had drunk deep of the bitter cup of infatuation. 
— See 1 Sam. xxxi. and 2 Sam. ii. and iii. From these two 
sources flow the calamities of churches and of kingdoms 
in all ages, whensoever it pleaseth God to visit their trans- 
gressions upon them, by the instrumentality of men. 

4. Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee ; that 
it may be displayed because of the truth. 

For the temporal salvation of Israel, God raised up 
David, according to his promise; to whose standard, as a 
centre of unity, the worshippers of the true God might resort. 
For the spiritual and eternal salvation of the church, God 
raised up his Son Jesus, according to his promise, and 
" displayed the banner of the cross," under which believers 
are enlisted and led on to triumph, " because of the truth." 
Remarkable to this purpose are the words of Isaiah — " In 
that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand 
for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek : 
and his rest," after the battle is over, and the victory 
gained, "shall be glorious." — Isa. xi. 10. 

5. That thy beloved may be delivered, save with thy right 
hand, and hear me. 

This prayer, which king David preferred for Israel, the 
great Intercessor prefers continually for his church ; and 
all ought to prefer for themselves and for others. 

6. God hath spoken in his holiness, or, by his Holy One, 
I will rejoice, or, exult, i. e. as a conqueror ; I will divide 
Sechim, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 

As a ground of hope and confidence, David here declares, 
that God, by the mouth of an holy prophet, had spoken 
and promised him the success for which he prayed in the 
foregoing verse. And that this was known among the 
people, appears from a speech of Abner to the elders of 
Israel. 2 Sam. iii. 18. — " The Lord hath spoken of David, 



DAY XT. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



229 



saying-, By the hand of my servant David I will save my 
people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of 
the hand of all their enemies." Having, therefore, men- 
tioned this prediction, much of which was already accom- 
plished, he exults as a conqueror, resolving to divide into 
districts, and portion out, under proper officers, the country 
about Samaria, now become his own. 

7. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, Ephraim also 
is the strength of my head ; Judah is my law-giver. 

"Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim," and the other tribes of 
Israel, upon the death of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, whom 
Abner had set over them, joined the royal tribe of Judah, 
and came in, with one accord, to the house of David. — See 
2 Sam. ii. 8. and v. 1. " Ephraim," as a tribe abounding 
in valiant men, is styled, by its prince, " the strength of 
his head," or the support of his life and kingdom ; and 
"Judah," as the seat of empire, replenished with men of 
wisdom and understanding, qualified to assist the throne by 
their salutary counsels, is dignified with the title of " law- 
giver." Thus are the tribes of the spiritual " Israel" sub- 
ject to Messiah, and serve him in various capacities, as the 
Spirit furnishes different men with different powers ; some 
being endued with zeal and fortitude, to labour and suffer; 
others with knowledge and discretion, to instruct and govern. 

8. Moab is my wash-pot, over Edom will I cast out, or, 
extend my shoe ; Philistia, triumph thou because of me, 
Heb. Over Philistia give a shout of triumph. The parallel 
passage, Ps. cviii. 9. has it — Over Philistia I will give a 
shout of triumph. 

After having mentioned the submission of the Israelitish 
tribes to his sceptre, David predicts the extension of his 
kingdom over the neighbouring nations, those inveterate 
enemies of the people of God ; such as the Moabites, the 
Edomites, and, above all, the Philistines. The absolute 
reduction of these nations, under his dominion, is expressed 
metaphorically, by the phrases of " making them his wash- 
pot, and extending his shoe, i. e. setting his foot" upon 
them. The Son of David also must " reign, till he hath 
put all enemies under his feet." — 1 Cor. xv. 25. And the 
Christian, in these words, now declareth his hope of being 
enabled to do the same ; to conquer through his Lord, and 
to triumph with him. 



230 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. JX. 



9. Who will bring me into the strong city ? Who will 
lead me into Edom ? 

Bozrah, the capital of " Idumea, or Edom," was a fortified 
town, situated on a rock, deemed impregnable. — See Obad. 
ver. 3. Considering, therefore, the strength of the ad- 
versary, David, by this question, acknowledgeth his own 
impotency, and the need he had of superior aid, in order to 
achieve this important conquest. How great need then 
have we of an Almighty Saviour, who may enable us to 
overcome our last and strongest enemy — death ! And it is 
very remarkable, that Christ's victory over this very enemy 
is set forth, by the prophet Isaiah, under the striking 
image of a king of Israel, returning in triumph from the 
reduction of Idumea. " Who is this that cometh from 
Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? " &c— Isa. lxiii. 1. 
The reader will be no less entertained than instructed by a 
discourse of Bishop Andrews on this subject, being the 
seventeenth of his sermons on Easter-day. 

10. Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? And 
thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies ? 

The question in the last verse — " Who will bring me 
into Edom?" is here answered by another question — " Wilt 
not thou, O God," &c. that is, To whom can we have re- 
course for assistance, but to thee, O God ? Deserted by 
thee, we fall : but do thou go forth with us, and we shall 
again rise superior to every enemy. So saith the Christian 
soldier : — " Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the 
words of eternal life ; Thou hast overcome the sharpness of 
death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers." 

1 1 . Give us help from trouble ; for vain is the help of 
man. 12. Through God we shall do valiantly ; for he it 
is that shall tread down our enemies. 

David, like a wise and pious prince, acknowledgeth the 
weakness of the fleshly arm, and strengthened himself in 
the Lord his God. Much more ought we to confess the 
impotence of nature, and to implore the succours of grace; 
that so we may happily accomplish our spiritual warfare, 
tread Satan under our feet, and triumph finally over the 
last enemy, death himself. 



DAY XI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



231 



PSALM LXI. 

ARGUMEN l". 

in the person of David, for a while driven into exile, and then restored 
to his kingdom, we here behold the church, or any member thereof, 
1 —3. preferring a petition for deliverance from the troubles and temp- 
tations of this mortal state ; 4, 5. expressing faith and hope in God ; 
6, 7. praying for the prosperity and perpetuity of Messiah's kingdom ; 
and, 8. resolving to praise God evermore for the same. 

1. Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. 2. From 
the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is 
overwhelmed ; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

The church, extended far and wide among the nations, 
crieth aloud unto God by the prayers of its members, even 
"from the ends, or utmost parts of the earth." The world 
is to Christians a sea of troubles and temptations, from 
which they daily beseech God to deliver them, and to place 
them on the "rock" of their salvation; which rock is 
Christ. Grounded on him, by faith in his sufferings and 
exaltation, we may defy all the storms and tempests that 
can be raised against us by the adversary, while, as from 
the top of a lofty mountain on the shore, we behold the 
waves dashing themselves in pieces beneath us. 

3. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower 
from the enemy. 

Meditation on God our Saviour, as set forth in the scrip- 
tures, will ever prove, to the believer, " a strong tower," 
or fortress, in which he will be safe from the darts of the 
enemy, and will be furnished with impregnable arguments, 
wherewith to oppose and blunt the force of every tempta- 
tion, which Satan can launch against his soul. 

4. / will abide in thy tabernacle for ever : I will trust in 
the covert of thy wings. 

They who sojourn in the "tabernacle" of the church 
militant on earth, and continue faithful members of the 
same, shall take up their eternal residence in that per- 
manent " temple," the church triumphant in heaven. Below, 
they are protected by the all -shadowing "wing" of God's 
fatherly providence ; above, they will be rewarded with the 
all-illuminating vision of his glorious presence. 



232 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXI. 



5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows ; thou hast 
given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. 

The "vows" of David, made during his banishment, 
were heard, and he was restored to the possession of his 
kingdom, in that land which God had given to his people 
for an heritage. The vows of Messiah, made in the days 
of his pilgrimage, were heard, and he hath reassumed his 
ancient throne in the heavenly Jerusalem. The prayers of 
the faithful, made in the land where they are in exile, are 
heard, and their spirits shall return to God, who will " give 
them the heritage of those that fear his name." 

6. Thou wilt prolong the king's life ; and his years as 
many generations. 7. He shall abide before God for ever: 
O prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him. Or, 
6. Thou wilt add days to the days of the king : his years as 
generation and generation. 7. He shall dwell before God 
for ever ; mercy and truth shall preserve him. 

These words must be applied to Him, of whom it was 
said by the angel — " The Lord God shall give unto him 
the throne of his father David ; and he shall reign over the 
house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be 
no end." — Luke i. 32. The ancient church prayed for 
" his " exaltation and glory under those of his represent- 
ative ; nay, the Chaldee paraphrast expounds this passage 
of Messiah only ; — " Thou shalt add days to the days of 
King Messias ; his years shall be as the generation of this 
world, and of the world to come." Nor can a better para- 
phrase be easily devised. 

8. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I 
may daily perform my voivs. 

For the preservation and prosperity, the exaltation, the 
power, and the everlasting glory of Christ's kingdom, with 
all the benefits and blessings thereof, we are bound to sing 
praise unto God's holy name for ever, and daily to perform 
the vows made in baptism, that we would believe in him, 
and serve him all the days of our life ; until that blessed 
day shall dawn which no night is to follow, when faith 
shall end in vision, and duty be resolved into praise. 



DAY XII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



233 



TWELFTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. a resolution to trust in God alone ; 3, 4. a 
denunciation of judgment against the persecutors of the Just One; 
5- — 7. a repeated act of faith, and resolution to trust in God, with, 8. 
an exhortation to all nations to do the same; and that, 9, 10, because 
there is no confidence to be placed in man, or in the world ; but only, 
11. in the divine power, and, 12. mercy. 

1 . Truly my soul waiteth, or, resteth upon God : from 
him cometh my salvation. 2. He only is my rock and my 
salvation ; he is my defence, Heb. high place ; I shall not 
be greatly moved. 

David, in the midst of trouble, and perhaps tempted to 
have recourse to sinful expedients for his preservation, de- 
termines still to repose all his confidence on the promised 
mercy of him who is the " salvation," the " rock," and the 
"high place," or fortress of men. Christ would not be 
delivered from his sufferings by any other means than 
those which the Father had ordained. The church in like 
manner, should patiently wait for the salvation of God, and 
not attempt, through distrust of the divine mercy, to save 
herself by unwarrantable methods of her own devising. 

3. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man 1 Ye 
shall be slain all of you : as a bowing wall shall ye be, and 
as a tottering fence. 

From a declaration of his trust in God, the prophet 
passeth to an expostulation with his enemies for continually 
plotting against him ; and foretelleth that their destruction 
will happen suddenly and irremediably, like the downfall 
of a wall that is out of the perpendicular, or a stone 
fence, the parts of which are not cemented together. — See 
Isa. xxx. 13. How striking is this expostulation, and this 
prediction, if considered as addressed by Messiah to his 
implacable enemies ! 

4. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency ; 
they delight in lies ; they bless with their mouth, but they 
curse inwardly. 



234 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. Lxn. 



The adversaries of David " consulted " how to deprive 
him of those honours to which God designed to exalt him ; 
the scribes and pharisees took counsel against Jesus, with 
the same intent ; and to rob the Christian of the glory and 
immortality prepared for him, is the end of every tempta- 
tion which the enemy throws in his way, whether it be of 
the terrifying, or, which oftener succeeds, the flattering, 
alluring, and deceiving kind. 

5. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation 
is from him. 6. He only is my rock and my salvation ; he 
is my defence, or, high place, I shall not he moved. 7. In 
God is my salvation, and my glory ; the rock of my strength, 
and my refuge is in God. 

The consideration suggested in the preceding verse, 
namely, that the enemy is ever intent upon our ruin, should 
stir us up, after the prophet's example, to renew our faith, 
and strengthen ourselves yet more and more, continually, 
in the Lord our God, who alone giveth victory, salvation, 
and glory. 

8. Trust in him at all times, ye people, pour out your 
hearts before him; God is a refuge for us. 

The comforts which David had found, he exhorteth others 
to seek in faith and prayer ; in such a faith as fixeth itself 
on God, when the whole world is against it; and such 
prayer, as poured forth all the desires of the soul into the 
bosom of the Almighty. How often, in repeating the 
Psalms, do we declare, that " God is our refuge ; " yet 
how very seldom do we recur to him as such in the hour 
of temptation ! 

9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high 
degree are a lie : to be laid in the balance, they are altogether 
lighter than vanity. 

A reason is here assigned, why we should at all times 
" trust in God ; " namely, because there is nothing else in 
which we can trust, but it will in the end deceive us. 
Weighed in the " balance" of heaven, the power of man to 
save, is " less than nothing." Let us weigh every thing in 
that exact and faithful balance. 

10. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in rob- 
bery : if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. 

Of all things here below, wealth is that on which poor 
deluded man is chiefly tempted, even to the end of life, to 



DAY XII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



235 



place his confidence; and when " riches increase," it proves 
an hard task for the human heart to keep its affections suf- 
ficiently detached from them. But he who by injustice 
acquireth the earthly mammon, justly forfeiteth the trea- 
sures of heaven ; and he who is made vain and covetous 
by money, however honestly gotten, renders that a curse 
to one which was designed as a blessing to many, and 
drowns himself in the spring which should have watered all 
around him. 

11. God hath spoken once ; twice have I heard this, or, 
these tivo things have I heard : that power belongeth unto 
God ; 12. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy ; for 
thou render est to every man according to his work. 

In opposition to the vain boasts of worldly men, trusting 
in their riches, &c. is cited the declaration of God, when, 
from Mount Sinai, he proclaimed himself to be Jehovah, 
the fountain of all " power," in heaven above, and on earth 
beneath, jealous of the glory of this attribute, ready to 
avenge himself on the wicked, and able to abase the pride 
of man. At the same time also, he proclaimed himself 
" the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, 
and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for 
thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin." 
— Exod. xxxiv. 6. To all mankind, therefore, the prophet 
here recommendeth meditation on these two most interest- 
ing subjects, the " power of God to punish sin, and his 
mercy" to pardon it. Fear of the former will beget desire 
of the latter, and both together will set a man upon doing- 
works worthy of their parent faith ; works which a God, of 
his infinite " mercy," for the sake of Christ, has graciously 
promised to accept and to " reward." 




236 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXIII. 



PSALM LXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, in the wilderness of Judah, expresseth, 1,2. his longing desire after 
the presence of God, and the divine pleasures of the sanctuary ; 3 — 6. 
he blesseth and praiseth God both day and night, in the midst of afflic- 
tion, and, 7, 8. declareth his faith to be immoveable; 9, 10. he pre- 
dicted the fate of the wicked, with, 11. the exaltation, triumph, and 
glory of Messiah, to be exhibited in his own. The whole Psalm is ap- 
plicable to the circumstances of Christ in the flesh, and to those of his 
people in the world. 

1 . O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee ; my 
soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and 
thirsty land, where no water is : 2. To see thy power and 
glory, so as / have seen thee in the sanctuary. 

After the example of the persecuted David in the wilder- 
ness of Judah, and that of the afflicted Jesus upon earth, 
the true Christian dedicates to God " the sweet hour of 
prime;" he opens the eyes of his understanding, together 
with those of his body, and awakes each morning to righte- 
ousness. He arises, with an inextinguishable thirst after 
those comforts, which the world cannot give ; and has 
immediate recourse, by prayer, to the fountain of the water 
of life ; ever longing to behold the divine power and glory, 
in the sanctuary above, of which he has been favoured with 
some glimpse, in the services of the church below. 

3. Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips 
shall praise thee. 

" Life " is the greatest of earthly blessings, all others 
being included in it: "all that a man hath," saith Satan, 
" will he give for his life." — Job ii. 4. Not so the Psalmist. 
He knew a pearl of far greater price, namely, the " loving- 
kindness" of Jehovah, on which is suspended not only the 
life, which now is, but that which is to come. The sense 
of this loving-kindness tuned the harp of the son of Jesse, 
and now tunes those of the spirits before the throne. 

4. Thus will I bless thee while I live ; I will lift up my 
hands in thy name. 

" While we live," however wretched our condition may 
be, we have an opportunity of obtaining pardon, grace, and 
glory; for which we ought, at all times, " to bless" God, 



DAY XII. M. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



237 



" lifting up pure hands " in prayer, employing them in 
every good work, and all in the "name" of Jesus. 

5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; 
a?ul my mouth shall praise thee with joyf ul lips : 6. When 
I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the 
vAght-iuatches. 

Solitude and stillness render the " night-watches " a fit 
season for meditation on the so often experienced mercies 
of God ; which, when thus called to remembrance, become 
a delicious repast to the spirit, filling it with all joy, and 
peace, and consolation; giving songs in the night, and 
making darkness itself cheerful. How cheerful, then, will 
be that last morning, when the righteous, awaking up after 
the divine likeness, shall be " satisfied" with all the fulness 
of God, and " praise him with joyful lips," in those eternal 
courts, where there is no night, and from whence sorrow 
and sighing fly far away ! 

7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore under the 
shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8. My soul followeth 
hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. 

Recollection of past mercies, inclines the soul to put her- 
self under the "wing" of an all-shadowing Providence. 
Should her Redeemer, for a time, seem to be deserting her, 
faith constraineth her to "follow hard after him," as a child 
doth after the father; and not to let go the " hand," which 
hath so often " uphold en" her from falling. 

9. But those that seek my soul to destroy it, shall go into 
the lower parts of the earth. 10. They shall fall by the 
sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. 

The enemies of Jehovah and his Anointed, if they come 
not to a violent death, an early grave, or to have their car- 
cases devoured by the beasts of the field, (as hath sometimes 
been the case,) yet, in an after-state, their condition will 
certainly be deplorable. Their habitation must be in the 
" pit ;" their punishment the flaming " sword " of Almighty 
vengeance : and their companions those crafty and mali- 
cious ones, who, having contributed to seduce, will help to 
torment them. 

11. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone that 
siceareth by hint shall glory ; but the mouth of them that 
speak lies shall be stopped. 

If David found cause to rejoice in God, who gave him 



238 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXIV. 



the victory over all his enemies ; if the subjects of David 
might well glory in their king ; if the slanderers of David 
were put to silence, at beholding him exalted, to the throne 
of Israel ; how much greater is the joy of Messiah in the 
Godhead, giving the manhood victory over his enemies, 
sin, death, and hell ; how much rather may his subjects 
and worshippers glory in their triumphant King ; and how 
much more shall the blasphemers of such a Saviour be 
everlastingly confounded, when they shall behold him in- 
vested with all the power and majesty of the Father, and 
seated on the throne of judgment ! Surely, then, " the 
mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped." 



PSALM LXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, in the person of Messiah, 1, 2. prayeth to be delivered from his 
enemies, from their counsels and insurrections ; 3, 4. he describeth 
their calumnies and slanders, their scoffs and blasphemies, and, 5, 6. 
their indefatigable malice ; predicting, 7 — 9. their astonishing fall, 
with, 10. the exaltation of the church, in God her Saviour. 

1 . Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer ; preserve my 
life from fear of the enemy. 

The prophet, after beseeching God to hear him, prefers 
his petition, which is, to be " preserved from fear of the 
enemy." A petition of this kind is granted, either by a 
removal of the ground of fear, when the enemy's power to 
hurt is taken from him, or his will changed ; or else by an 
extirpation of the fear itself, through increase of faith, 
charity, and fortitude. For the former, let us pray con- 
ditionally, " if it may be done, and if it is God's will that 
it should be done :" as Christ prayed against the bitter cup 
in the garden ; for the latter, we may pray absolutely ; 
since a victory, gained by the fear of God over the fear of 
man, is a necessary step, and a happy prelude, to a full 
and final triumph over every enemy of our salvation. 

2. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked ; from 
the insurrection of the workers of iniquity. 

The " counsels and insurrections " of the Israelites against 
David ; of the same people, afterward, against the Son of 



DAY XII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



239 



David ; of -worldly and wicked men against the church ; 
and of the powers of darkness against us all, are here 
respectively understood to be deprecated. 

3. Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their 
bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words : 4. That 
they may shoot in secret at the perfect : suddenly do they 
shoot at him, and fear not. 

In personal scofhngs and revilings, the tongue performs 
the part of a " sword/' which is a weapon that can be used 
only in open rencounters ; but "bitter words," spoken in 
secret, and at a distance from him who is the subject of 
them, are like " arrows," which may be shot from an obscure 
and remote corner, and, therefore, cannot be warded off. 
The tongue, in both these capacities, was employed 
against that Perfect one, the holy Jesus, in the days of 
his flesh. Would to God it had never been since em- 
ployed against him and his disciples, or by his disciples, 
against each other. 

5. They encourage themselves in an evil matter ; they 
commune of laying snares privily ; they say, Who shall see 
them ? 

Sin doth not often appear abroad, without a veil ; and 
the more atrocious the sin, the more specious must be the 
pretence which is to cover it. Envy and malice crucified 
the Son of God ; but, during the course of the proceedings 
against him, you hear only of zeal for the law, and loyalty 
to Caesar. Such are the "snares," set by the crafty, to 
deceive the simple and unwary ; without considering, that 
the broad eye of heaven all the time, surveys their most 
secret devices, by which they impose upon others, and fre- 
quently upon themselves. 

6. They search out iniquities, they accomplish a diligent 
search : both the inward thought of every one of them, and 
the heart is deep. 

Truth and righteousness may be found, and practised, 
with half the pains that are often employed to u search out 
iniquity," and establish error. The Jews could not accom- 
plish the death of Christ, without counsels, stratagems, and 
subornations, " deep " and dark as hell itself : all which 
trouble they might have saved themselves at once, by be- 
lieving on him. The case is the same with virtue and vice; 
and honesty is the readiest, as well as the best policy. 



240 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXIV. 



7. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow ; suddenly 
shall they be wounded. 8. So they shall make their own 
tongues to fall upon themselves : all that see them shall flee 
away. 

While the enemies of the " Just One " were shooting in 
secret at him, he that dwelleth in the heavens was levelling 
an arrow at them, and one which would not fail to take 
place. It accordingly did so ; and the direful imprecations 
of "their own tongues fell," in unexampled vengeance, on 
the heads of them, and their children, who continued to 
justify the deeds of their fathers. All would "flee away" 
from the punishment of " Jerusalem ; " let all, then, depart 
from the sins which occasioned it. 

9. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of 
God ; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. 

It is remarkable, that the desolation of the once holy and 
beloved city, filled "all men with fear" and astonishment, 
forcing them to acknowledge and " declare" it to be the 
"work of God." Even Titus, the Roman emperor, con- 
fessed, that he had fought, and conquered, by the favour, 
and under the direction of heaven. O that men would 
" wisely consider " of this, and other wonderful works of 
the Almighty ! 

10. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall 
trust in him ; and all the upright in heart shall glory. 

As sorrow, sooner or later, will be the portion of Messiah's 
enemies, so joy is the high privilege of his friends and dis- 
ciples. The "righteous" man alone can be truly "glad," 
because he alone can be " glad in the Lord " Jesus, the 
object of all his confidence. There was light in Goshen, 
when darkness covered the Egyptians ; the Christian church 
drank the cup of salvation, when that of vengeance was 
mingled for Jerusalem; and when the empire of Satan 
shall fall, heaven will resound with hallelujahs. 



DAY XII. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



241 



TWELFTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this very lovely song of Sion, the prophet treats, 1. of the praise due 
to Jehovah, for, 2. his mercy, in heaving the prayers of his servants, 
and, 3. in redeeming them from their sins ; 4. he declareth the blessed- 
ness of the elect, in Christ their head ; 5. predicteth the wonderful 
things which God would do for the salvation of men, by that power 
which, 6, 7. established the mountains, and confined the sea within its 
bounds; 8. foretelleth the conversion of the nations; and, 9 — 13. de- 
scribeth the blessed effects of the Spirit poured out upon the church, 
under the figure of rain, descending upon a dry ground. 

1. Praise wait l eth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto 
thee shall the vow be performed. 

The oblations of "praise and thanksgiving " were for- 
merly offered, and all "vows" were paid, in the temple on 
Mount " Sion." At Jerusalem was performed the promise 
of man's redemption by the sacrifice of the Son of God ; 
since which event, and the call of the Gentiles, the Christian 
church has been the holy city and temple. In her com- 
munion, we are to offer up our devotions, and to perform 
the vow made in baptism ; until we come to the heavenly 
Sion, to pay our vows, with the church triumphant, in 
everlasting hymns of praise. 

2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. 
The prophet here foretells, that, on account of God's 

mercy, in hearing the prayers of his people, " all flesh," 
that is, all mankind, out of every nation, should " come " 
at his gracious call, and make their supplications before 
him, in his church. And to whom should " all flesh come," 
but to him that " heareth prayer ? " 

3. Iniquities prevail against me ; as for our transgTes- 
sions, thou shalt purge them away. 

The chief subject of the prayers, made by all flesh to 
God, is the forgiveness of sin ; in order to which it must be 
confessed. The verse, therefore, consisteth of two parts. 
First, an acknowledgement of guilt — " Iniquities prevail 
against me ;" like whereunto is St. Paul's complaint — "Q 

R 



242 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXV. 



wretched man that I am ; wno shall deliver me from this 
body of death !" The second part of the verse intimates an 
assurance of pardon, through the blood of the Lamb. — " As 
for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away;" 
exactly corresponding to the answer, which the apostle 
returneth to himself ; "I thank God, through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord." — Rom. vii. 24. 

4. Blessed is the man whom thou chooseth, and causest 
to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts : 
we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of 
thy holy temple. 

Blessed are they, who are chosen out of the world, and 
admitted to the privileges of the church ; still more blessed 
are they, who are chosen out of the congregation, to stand 
continually in the presence of God, and to minister in his 
courts ; but blessed, above all blessing and praise, is the 
man Christ Jesus, elect, precious, chosen of God to be an 
high priest for ever; to make intercession for his people in 
the courts of heaven ; that where he is, they may be also. 
Then shall we indeed be " satisfied with the pleasures of 
thy house, O Lord, even of thy holy temple." 

5. By terrible, or, wonderful things in righteousness wilt 
thou answer us, O God of our salvation ; who art the con- 
fidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are 
afar off upon the sea. 

The ancient church foretelleth, that God would "answer " 
her prayers for the coming of Messiah, by "wonderful 
things in righteousness;" which was brought to pass, by 
the death and resurrection of Christ, the overthrow of ido- 
latry, and the conversion of nations. Then " the God of 
salvation" became "the confidence of all the ends of the 
earth," and the inhabitants of the most distant " island" 
believed in Jesus. By " wonderful things in righteousness," 
will the prayers of the church, which now is, be answered, 
at the second manifestation of the Son of God, in the glory 
of his Father. 

6. Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains, being 
girded with power. 7. Which stilleth the noise of the seas, 
the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. 

That power, which originally fixed the foundations of 
the "mountains," and which, from time to time, controls 
the " waves " of the sea, is engaged in the support and 



DAY XII. E. P.J 



OX THE PSALMS. 



243 



preservation of the church ; and will never suffer the 
"waves" of this troublesome world to overwhelm the 
" mountain of his holiness." 

8. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid 
at thy tokens : thou makest the outgoings of the morning and 
evening to rejoice. 

The " tokens, or signs,' 1 mentioned in this verse, are the 
exertions of divine power and mercy, called above, " won- 
derful things in righteousness which, at the publication 
of the gospel, produced a saving " fear'' of God among the 
nations, "dwelling in the uttermost parts of the earth." 
" The isles," saith Isaiah on the same occasion, " saw it, 
and feared ; the ends of the earth were afraid ; they drew 
near, and came." — Isa. xli. 5. And then it was, that "the 
outgoings of the morning and evening," all the inhabitants 
of the earth, as many as experienced the sweet vicissitudes 
of day and night, of morning and evening, were " made to 
rejoice'" in God their Saviour- whose name was praised, 
from the rising to the setting sun. 

9. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it : thou greatly 
enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water : 
thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it; 
or, for so thou hast established, or, constituted it. 

Under the beautiful image of a once barren and dry land, 
rendered fruitful by kindly showers of rain, turning dearth 
into plenteousness, are represented here, (as in Isa. xxxv. 
and numberless other places,) the gracious " visitation" of 
the church by the Spirit; the "riches" of grace and 
mercy, poured upon the hearts of men, from the exhaustless 
" river of God :" and the bountiful provision made thereby, 
for the relief of that spiritual famine, which had been sore 
in all lands. — See Isa. lv. 10. Rev. xxii. 1. Amos viii. 11. 

10. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly ; thou 
settlest the furrows thereof : thou makest it soft with showers, 
thou blessest the springing thereof. 

After the ground is ploughed up, the former rain, des- 
cending upon the "ridges," and into the "furrows," dis- 
solveth the parts of the earth, and so, fitteth it for the 
purposes of vegetation, whenever the seed shall be cast 
into it : then cometh the latter rain, to assist, and to " bless 
the springing," and increase thereof, unto a joyful harvest. 
Thus doth the good Spirit of God both prepare the hearts 

r 2 



244 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXV. 



of his people for the reception of the word, and also enable 
them to bear fruit, bringing forth " some an hundred-fold, 
some sixty, some thirty." — Matt. xiii. 23. 

1 1 . Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy 
paths, or, clouds, or, heavens, drop fatness. 

The herbs, fruits, and flowers, produced by the earth, are 
here finely represented, as a beautifully variegated " crown," 
set upon her head by the hands of her great Creator ; at 
whose command, the heavens, by collecting and distilling 
the drops of rain, impregnate her, and make her the parent 
of terrestrial blessings. It is the same God who will crown, 
with everlasting goodness, the acceptable year, the year of 
his redeemed ; when the Spirit shall have accomplished 
his work ; when God shall be glorified in his saints ; and 
heaven, as well as earth, shall be full of the goodness of 
Jehovah. 

12. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness ; and 
the little hills rejoice on every side ; or, are girded about with 
gladness. 

As the rain which descendeth from heaven, causeth even 
the barren wilderness to become a green pasture, and in- 
vesteth the naked hills with the garments of joy and glad- 
ness ; so the Spirit, when poured out from on high upon 
the Gentile world, converted that "wilderness" into a 
" fruitful field;" while the churches, there rising on all 
sides, like little fertile "hills, rejoiced" with joy unspeak- 
able, and full of glory. — See Isa. xxxii. 15. xxxv. 1, 2. 

13. The pastures are clothed with flocks : the valleys also 
are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. 

The happy effects of God's visiting the earth with rain, 
are valleys covered with corn, verdant meads, and thriving 
flocks. All these ideas, in the prophetical scriptures, are 
frequently transferred to the times of refreshment and con- 
solation, of peace and fruitfulness, in the church ; which 
breaks forth into joy, in the one case, as the world is always 
ready to do, in the other. Manifold and marvellous, O 
Lord, are thy works, whether of nature, or of grace ; surely, 
in wisdom and loving-kindness hast thou made them all ; 
the earth, in every sense, is full of thy riches ! 



DAY XII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



24.3 



PSALM LXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

Id this Psalm, the prophet, 1, 2. exciteth all the world to sing the praises 
of God ; 3, 4. the power and universality of his kingdom; 5 — 12. the 
deliverance of the church from various afflictions and temptations ; for 
which, 13 — 15. we are to offer the sacrifices, which had been vowed; 
16 — 19. to declare the mercies and loving kindnesses of the Lord toward 
us ; and, 20. to bless his holy name continually. 

1. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands, or, all 
the earth : 2. Sing forth the honour of his name ; make 
his praise glorious. 

"The holy church, throughout all the world/' is here 
called upon to lift up her voice, like the jubilee trumpet of 
old, in thanksgiving; to celebrate that name, which is above 
every name : and to make the praise of Jesus glorious, both 
by word and deed ; that so others, hearing our voices, and 
seeing our works, may be led to glorify him in Hke manner. 

3. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works I 
Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies 
submit themselves unto thee. 

The subjects proposed are the various and awful mani- 
festations of divine " power of that power which made, 
and which continues to support the world ; which over- 
throws, and raises up empires ; which subverted the king- 
dom of Satan, established that of Christ, and caused its 
enemies either to relinquish, or dissemble their hostility. 
Happy the man, whose heart and affections unfeignedly 
7 submit themselves 5 ' to the sceptre of Messiah. 

4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto 
thee, they shall sing unto thy name. 

What David spake in the future, the church now speaketh 
in the present tense — " All the earth doth worship thee, the 
Father everlasting : day by day we magnify thee, and we 
worship thy name ever, world without end." A day is 
coming, when this shall be the case, in an unlimited sense 
of the words ; when Jews and Gentiles, quick and dead, 
heaven and earth, shall compose one perfect and truly 
harmonious choir. 

5. Come, and see the works of God : he is terrible in his 
doing toward the children of men. 6. He turned the sea 



246 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVI. 



into dry land: they went through the flood on foot ; there 
did we rejoice in him. 

The prophet, after inviting men to contemplate "the 
works of God," sets before them, for that purpose, two great 
miracles wrought for Israel ; namely, the division of the 
Red Sea, and that of the River Jordan ; by the former, they 
escaped Egypt, by the latter, they entered Canaan. Under 
these two figurative transactions the Christian church beholds, 
and, in the words which describe them, she celebrates two 
corresponding works of mercy wrought for her ; namely, 
the deliverance of her children from the dominion of sin, by 
the waters of baptism : and their admission into the king- 
dom of heaven, through the grave and gate of death. If the 
Israelites rejoiced in God their Saviour, for the former bless- 
ings, much more, surely, ought we so to do, for the latter. 

7. He ruleth by his power for ever, his eyes behold the 
nations : let not the rebellious, or, the rebellious shall not 
exalt themselves. 

The uncontrollable sovereignty, and superintending 
providence of our God and King, are topics, on which we 
should ever delight to dwell. Establish, O Lord, thy king- 
dom within us, and suffer not our " rebellious " passions 
to " exalt themselves" against it. 

8. O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his 
praise to be heard ; 9. Who holdeth our soul in life, and 
suffereth not our feet to be moved. 

But chiefly are we bound to "bless" and "praise" God 
for that goodness and mercy by which our feet are turned 
back from the ways of death, placed in the path of " life," 
and enabled to walk therein, without falling into perdition; 
until, having finished our pilgrimage in the world, we lie 
down in peace, and our flesh resteth sweetly in hope. 

10. For thou, O God, hast proved us : thou hast tried 
us, as silver is tried. 

Notwithstanding the mercy of God, and the salvation 
wrought for us, we are here taught to expect affliction and 
tribulation ; which, indeed, are oftentimes necessary ; for 
having in our composition a mixture of the earth from 
whence we came, with a base alloy of concupiscence, we 
stand as much in need of adversity, as metals, in like cir- 
cumstances, do of the fire, to refine and purify our tempers 
Try us, O God ; but enable us to stand the trial ! 



DA Y XII. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



247 



1]. Thou broughtest us into the net, thou laidest affliction 
upon our loins. 12. Thou hast caused men to ride over our 
heads; we went through jire and water ; but thou broughtest 
us into a wealthy place. 

Various calamities are here mentioned, which God suffers 
to fall upon his people. As, first, their being " brought into 
the net," or ensnared and taken captive by their enemies, 
whom they had not power to resist, or escape. Secondly, 
" afflictions upon the loins," or hard servitude under heavy 
burdens. Thirdly, " men riding over their heads," or the 
manifold oppressions of persecuting tyrants, trampling them 
under their feet, like war horses, in the day of battle. 
Fourthly, passing " through fire and water," or troubles of 
different and contrary kinds, though alike deadly and de- 
structive. But he who brought Israel from among the brick- 
kilns of Egypt, and through the waters of the Red Sea, and 
the river Jordan, into the promised rest, will bring us safely 
through every fiery trial, and through the waves of a trouble- 
some world, to the land of everlasting peace and comfort. 

13. I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings ; I 
will 'pay thee my vows, 14. Which my lips have uttered, 
and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. 15. / 
will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of failings, with the in- 
cense of rams : I will offer bullocks with goats. 

Under the gospel, the obligation of " going to the house 
of God," and there " paying vows," still continues; but 
the "offerings" are changed. The legal sacrifices have 
been abolished by the oblation of the body of Christ, once 
for all. This oblation is commemorated in the eucharist ; 
at the celebration of which we now offer up our prayers 
and praises, ourselves, our souls, and bodies, a reasonable, 
holy, and lively sacrifice, acceptable to God, in the name 
and through the merits of the Redeemer. These offerings, 
if vowed in the seasons of sickness and sorrow, should be 
paid in the days of health and gladness. 

16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will de- 
clare what he hath done for my soul. 

Every man should be ready, like David, to celebrate the 
mercies of God vouchsafed to him. It is a debt of gratitude 
to his Saviour, who is glorified, and a debt of charity to 
his brethren, who are edified thereby ; provided only, that 
it be done with sobriety and humility. 



248 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVII. 



17. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled 
with my tongue. 

The mean, by which we obtain salvation, is faith ; which, as 
it showeth us both our disease and our physician, inclineth 
us to pray to the latter, for a cure of the former. Prayer 
is one gift of God ; and every other gift is obtained by it. 

18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not 
hear me. 

The prayer which is " heard," is the prayer of the peni- 
tent, heartily grieved and wearied with sin, hating, and 
longing to be delivered from it. For God heareth not 
hypocrites, who, while they outwardly disavow, yet in- 
wardly "regard" and cherish "iniquity;" from which every 
one, who nameth the name of Christ, ought to depart. 

19. But verily God hath heard me ; he hath attended to 
the voice of my prayer. 

David was heard, when God delivered him from his 
enemies, and set him on the throne of Israel : Christ was 
heard when God raised him from the dead, and exalted him 
to the right hand of the majesty in the heavens : and every 
man is heard, when God raises him from sin to righteous- 
ness, as an earnest of his future resurrection from dust to 
glory. Let every such man praise the Lord, and say, with 
David, in the last verse of our Psalm — 

20. Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, 
nor his mercy from me. 



PSALM LXVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this evangelical Psalm, the Israelitish church is introduced, as partly 
praying for, and partly foretelling the advent of Christ, and the conver- 
sion of the nations, with the joy and gladness that should be consequent 
thereupon. The Christian church now uses, and will continue to use 
the Psalm, with propriety, until the fulness of the Gentiles shall be come 
in, the conversion of the Jews effected, and Christ shall appear the 
second time, finally to accomplish the salvation of his* chosen. 

1. God be merciful unto us, and bless us ; and cause his 
face to shine upon us. 



DAY XII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



249 



The Israelitish church, by the mouth of the prophet, 
expresseth her ardent desire after Messiah's advent, and 
appearance in the flesh ; she prayeth, that God would be 
" merciful unto her," as he had promised; that, by so doing 
he would "bless" her with the blessings of pardon and 
peace, of grace and glory ; and, in one word, that he would 
" cause his face to shine upon her " by the rising of the 
Sun of Righteousness, making her to behold the glory of 
God in the face of Jesus Christ ; reviving her with the glad 
tidings of the gospel ; and enlightening her with the light 
of salvation. 

2. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving 
health among all nations. 

Nor was she studious, as her degenerate children have 
since been, to confine the favour of heaven within her own 
pale. If she had a good wish for herself, she had one like- 
wise for others ; and therefore prayed, that the " way" to 
life eternal might be " known," not in Jewry alone, but 
over all the "earth ;" and that the virtues of that salutary 
medicine, which was able to restore " health " and vigour 
to the diseased and languishing spirits of men, might be 
published " among all nations." 

3. Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people 
praise thee. 

As if she had said — Hitherto, indeed, blessed Lord, thou 
hast thought fit to make me the guardian and keeper of 
that great deposit, thy true religion, from which the nations 
revolted, and fell: but the time is coming, when, by the 
gospel of thy dear Son, they shall again be called to the 
knowledge of thee. Thy glory, impatient, as it were, of 
any longer restraint, and demanding a larger sphere, shall 
diffuse itself like the light of heaven, to the ends of the 
world. Hasten then, O hasten the dawning of that happy 
day, when congregations of converted Gentiles shall every 
where lift up their voices, and, perhaps in the words of 
this very Psalm, sing to thy praise and glory ! 

4. O let the nations be glad, and sing for joy : for thou 
shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations 
upon earth. 

And a very sufficient cause, surely, is here assigned, why 
the " nations" should " be glad, and sing for joy," upon 



250 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVII. 



the erection of Messiah's kingdom in the midst of them ; 
namely, because he would "judge the people righteously 
breaking the yoke of the oppressor, and the iron rod of the 
prince of this world ; becoming himself an advocate in 
the cause of his church ; introducing her into the glorious 
liberty of the children of God, whose service is perfect 
freedom ; and, with a sceptre, around which justice and 
mercy are wreathed together, " governing the nations upon 
earth." 

5. Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people 
praise thee. Chorus repeated, as above, ver. 3. 

6. Then shall the earth yield her increase ; and God even 
our own God shall bless us. 

Then, when that long expected time shall arrive, " the 
earth shall yield her increase ;" the nations of the world 
shall be converted to the faith, and become fruitful in every 
good word and work, through the benediction of heaven 
upon them. # 

7. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall 
fear him. 

The evangelical "blessings," predicted in this Psalm, 
have been long since poured out upon " the ends of the 
earth," by the bountiful hand of God in Christ. Let us 
beseech him to add yet this to all his other mercies, that, 
in return for such unmerited favours, the redeemed may 
have grace evermore to pay him the tribute of fear and 
obedience, of duty and love. 

* Universae gentes ad Deum convertentur, et electi abundabunt bonis 
operibus, rerumque omnium copia. — Bossuet. 



DAY XIII. M.P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



251 



THIRTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXV1II. 

ARGUMENT. 

This beautiful, sublime, and comprehensive, but very difficult Psalm, is 
one of those which the church has appointed to be used on Whit- 
sunday. It seems evidently to have been composed on that festive and 
joyful occasion, the removal of the ark to Mount Sion. — See 2 Sam. vi. 
I Chron. xv.* Under this figure, David, foreseeing the exaltation of 
Messiah, speaks of him, whom he describes, 1,2. as arising, and van- 
quishing his enemies; 3 — 6. as causing the faithful to rejoice, and 
showing mercy to the afflicted; 7 — 15. as bringing his church out of 
bondage, supporting her in the world by the Word and the Spirit, 
purging away her corruptions, and subduing her adversaries; the ground- 
work being laid in the history of the Egyptian deliverance, the manna 
and the law given in the wilderness, and the overthrow of the Canaan- 
itish nations. 16 — 20. David returns to the scene before him, celebrates 
the ascension of Christ, with power and great glory, to the hea enly 
Sion, and the gifts he should from thence pour down upon men ; 21 — 23. 
foretells the vengeance he would take on his opposers ; 24 — 28. sets 
forth the order of the church in her services; 29 — 31. predicts the 
conversion of the nations ; all of whom, 32 — 35. he exhorts to unite in 
chanting forth the praises of their God and Saviour. 

1. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered ; let them 
also that hate him, flee before him. 

These words were used by Moses, whenever the ark set 
forward before the armies of Israel, in their progress toward 
Canaan. — Numb. x. 35. David, in like manner, uses them 
in this triumphal hymn, on the removal of the ark to the 
city of Zion. — 1 Chron. xiii. and xv. Dr. Chandler supposes 

* The argument seems to be a prognostication of success to David and 
the kingdom of Israel, and victory over their enemies, in consequence of 
the manifestation of the especial presence of God on Mount Sion, and by 
his power exerted in their favour. In the mystical sense, which is autho- 
rized by St. Paul, Eph. iv. 8. it is, according to Vitringa, " Ascensio Christi 
in coelos, et sessio ad dextram Patris ; et illius effecta, quae sunt collectio 
et conservatio ecclesise, ac destructio hostium sibi et ecclesiee adversorum." 
Bishop Lowth in Merrick's Annotations. Dr. Chandler, in his " Critical 
History of the life of David," has given an admirable exposition of the 
literal, or historical sense of this Psalm, and a very ingenious division of 
it into five parts, founded on the supposition of its being performed at 
the removal of the ark. The author has been greatly assisted, in the 
ensuing comment, by the Doctor's exposition, and the reader will find the 
division of the Psalm inserted. 



252 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVIII. 



this part of the Psalm, from ver. 1. to ver. 6. inclusive, to 
have been sung when the ark was taken up on the shoulders 
of the Levites. The church now celebrates, in the same 
terms, the substance of the foregoing shadows ; she sings 
the praises of her Redeemer, rising from the dead, and 
preceding the Israel of God, to the true land of promise ; 
when " his enemies," the powers of darkness, sin, and death, 
" were scattered, and they that hated him fled before him." 
And the Christian, in the hour of temptation, will always 
find this verse a most powerful and profitable ejaculation. 

2. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away ; as wax 
melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence 
of God. 

The sudden and utter destruction of the enemies of God, 
and of his people, is resembled, first, to the dissipation of 
" smoke," which, though it rises from the earth in black 
and tremendous clouds, is by the wind presently brought to 
nothing ; secondly, to the melting of " wax," which though, 
to appearance, of a firm and solid consistence, yet, when 
held to the fire for a few minutes, dissolves, and makes no 
more resistance. So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord, 
within us. Let our vain imaginations be dispersed before 
thy Spirit, and our corruptions melt and die away, at the 
presence of thy light and thy truth. 

3. But let the righteous be glad: let them rejoice before 
God, yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. 

A variety of expressions is used in the Hebrew, to denote 
the festive "joy" and "delight," with which the righteous 
celebrate the triumphs of their God over his and their 
enemies, under each dispensation respectively. When the 
heart is full of these sensations, it has no desire to resort to 
the world for pleasure. 

4. Sing unto God, sing praises unto his name : extol him 
that rideth upon the heavens, by his name Jah, and rejoice 
before him. 

The prophet exhorts the people of God to magnify, with 
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, the eternal and 
incommunicable "name" of him "who was, and is, and is 
to come ;" who, deriving being from none, gives it to all ; 
and who, as Redeemer of his people, is exalted above the 
" heavens," and all the powers therein ; above the gods of 
the nations ; acknowledged and glorified by saints and 



DAY XIII. M. P.j ON THE PSALMS. 



253 



angels ; feared and trembled at by ungodly men, and evil 
spirits.* 

5. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows. 
is God in his holy habitation. 

After a description of God's "majesty," the Psalmist 
proceeds to make mention of his " mercy" toward the 
afflicted Israelites, who had suffered so much in Egypt, 
and in the wilderness. The cause of the " fatherless and 
widow" he takes into his own hands. But never did he 
do this in so full and extensive a manner, as when, by 
becoming man, he betrothed the church to himself in right- 
eousness, and became a father to her fatherless children. 

6. God setteth the solitary in families ; he bringeth out 
those which are bound in chains, but the rebellious dwell in 
a dry land. 

The " solitary, or destitute," in this verse, are the same 
persons with the " fatherless and widow," in the foregoing; 
those, as Dr. Chandler observes, whose fathers and families 
had been destroyed in Egypt, or fallen in the wilderness ; 
who, therefore, were left alone, destitute of help. These 
God afterward " made to sit down in families," blessed 
them with a numerous progeny, and the peaceable enjoy- 
ment of domestic felicity. Thus hath since been mani- 
fested the same tender care of heaven, in calling home the 
wretched outcasts among the nations, and admitting them 
into the holy and happy family of the children of God. 
Another instance of God's mercy, mentioned in this verse, 
is, that he " bringeth out those that are bound with chains," 
delivering his people from a spiritual, as he once did Israel 
from a temporal bondage. " But the rebellious," the 
ungodly and impenitent, " dwell in a dry land," in a spi- 
ritual desert, where no waters of life, of comfort, and sal- 
vation flow. Such is the state of the rebellious Jews at 
this day, like that of their murmuring predecessors in the 
wilderness. This allusion, says Bishop Lowth, to the de- 

* The idea of " riding on the heavens," furnished by our translation, 
is here followed, because nzi'Di^n. nDl^ in the 33d verse, seems to be exactly 
parallel. But Bishop Lowth, Mr. Merrick, and Dr. Chandler, render 
nm)?2 IDlV iVd "Prepare the way for him who rideth through the 
deserts," i. e. who rode upon the cherubim, through the wilderness ; alluding 
to the passage of the ark. This construction seems most agreeable to the 
common usage of the words employed in the original. Either way, the 
idea is truly great and sublime. 



254 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVIir. 



liverance from the Egyptian bondage, and the destruction 
of the murmurers in the desert, brings in, with great ease, 
the full subject of the Exodus, in the next verse. 

7. O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people; when 
thou didst march through the wilderness: 8. The earth shook, 
the heavens also dropped at the presence of God ; even Sinai 
itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 

This part of the Psalm, from ver. 7. to ver. 14. is the 
second in Dr. Chandler's division. It is supposed to have 
been sung when the procession began, and to have lasted 
till Mount Sion was in view. The prophet goes back to 
commemorate the wonders wrought for Israel, when Jeho- 
vah, by his presence in the cloudy pillar, conducted them 
through the wilderness ; when, descending to deliver the 
law, he bowed the heavens, and shook the earth, and 
caused Sinai to quake from its foundations. The Christian 
church, singing this Psalm on the day of Pentecost, com- 
memorates, under these terms and figures, her redemption 
from the spiritual Egypt, by the resurrection of Jesus, with 
mighty signs and wonders, and the succeeding delivery of 
the ne w law from Mount Sion, after the descent of the Holy 
Spirit ; by which the old Jewish dispensation was shaken 
and removed, to make way for one that should last for 
ever.— See Heb. xii. 18—28. 

9. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful, Heb. a free, 
liberal, or, gracious rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine 
inheritance, when it was weary. 

As the heavens, at the command of God, rained down 
manna, &c. to strengthen and refresh the well-nigh famished 
people in the wilderness ; so, by the descent of the Spirit 
from above, bringing with him the word of life, the church, 
in her infant and languid state, was mightily confirmed and 
invigorated. 

10. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, 
hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor. 

In the former verse, the Psalmist tells us, that God hath 
confirmed, refreshed, and revived his inheritance, by the 
plentiful, and, as it were, voluntary showers of bread and 
flesh, that he rained down upon them. In these words, 
Dr. Chandler apprehends he speaks of the manner, as well 
as abundance, of the food thus given them ; and renders the 
verse thus — " ""jrvn Thy food, or, As to thy food/' the food 



DAY XIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



255 



which thou gavest them, " TO HEP They dwelt in the midst 
of it ; Thou didst prepare, O God, by thy goodness, for the 
poor." Thus the history informs us, that the manna covered 
by the dew, " lay round about the host; " and that the quails 
were " let fall by the camp, about a day's journey on one 
side and a day's journey on the other, round about the camp." 
— Exod. xvi. 13. Numb. xi. 31. This was literally " dwell- 
ing in the midst of the food God had provided for them." 
By the ministration of the word and sacraments, in the 
Christian church, the true manna, the bread which cometh 
down, with the dew of God's blessing, from heaven, is con- 
tinually furnished for the nourishment of those who "hunger 
and thirst after righteousness." It " falls round about the 
camp," and " as to this thy food," O God, we, thy favoured 
people, have the happiness to dwell in the midst of it :" thus 
" thou hast prepared, of thy goodness, for the poor in spirit." 

11. The Lord gave the word ; great was the company of 
those that published it. 

He who supplied his people with food in the wilderness, 
enabled them likewise to vanquish the numerous enemies 
that opposed them in their passage through it — the Amalek- 
ites, the Amorites, the Midianites, the Moabites, &c. With 
respect to all these enemies, "the Lord gave the word." 
The Israelites engaged them by his order ; See Numb. xxi. 
34. xxv. 17. and, under his conduct and blessing, obtained 
the victory over them. When the enemies of man's salva- 
tion were vanquished by the resurrection of Christ, and the 
heathen nations were to own his power, again " the Lord 
gave the word." It was published at first by apostles, 
confessors and martyrs, and hath been since published 
continually by all the churches who celebrate in their ser- 
vices the victories of their Redeemer ; as in old time, 
prophets and prophetesses, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Deborah, 
and others, with the armies of Israel, sang triumphal songs, 
on occasion of temporal, but figurative conquests. 

12. * Kings with their armies did flee apace: ~H.eb.fled away, 
fled away : and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. 

When God, by the hand of Moses, and his successor 
Joshua, led his people through the wilderness, into the land 
of promise, the kings of Canaan, with their mighty hosts, 

* Bishop Lowth thinks, with Dr. Hammond, that this verse was the 
Song sung by the choir, mentioned in the verse preceding. Dr. Chandler 
adds the next verse to it. 



256 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVIII. 



were discomfited ; and the women of Israel, who " tarried 
at home, divided the spoil of their vanquished enemies." 
After the conquest of the Midianites, as Dr. Chandler ob- 
serves, God ordered the prey to be divided between them 
who went out on that expedition, and the rest of the con- 
gregation, who continued in their tents. — Numb. xxxi. 27. 
Thus, in the spiritual war, apostles, confessors, and martyrs, 
went out to the battle, fought and conquered ; while the 
benefits of the victory extended to thousands and millions, 
who, without being exposed to their conflicts and torments, 
have enjoyed the fruit of their labours. 

13. Though ye have been among the pots, yet shall ye be 
as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers 
with yellow gold. 

By " lying among the pots,"* or in "dust and ashes," 
is evidently denoted a state of affliction and wretchedness, 
like that of Israel in Egypt, which was exchanged for one 
of the utmost dignity and splendour in Canaan ; one as dif- 
ferent from the former, as a caldron, discoloured by smoke 
and soot, is from the bright and beautiful plumage of an 
eastern dove, glistering interchangeably, as with silver and 
gold. Thus the church of Christ, emerged from a state of 
persecution and tribulation, into one of splendour and mag- 
nificence. And such is the change made in the spiritual 
condition of any man, when he passes from the bondage of 
corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God ; he 
is invested with the robe of righteousness, and adorned with 
the graces of the Spirit of holiness. 

14. When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was 
white as snow in Salmon. 

The purport of this difficult verse seems to be, that all 
was white as snow, i. e. all was brightness, joy, and fes- 
tivity, about Mount Salmon, pnbyi sbwti when the Al- 
mighty, fighting for his people Israel, vanquished their 
enemies, HI in, or about that part of the country. 

15. The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan ; an high 
hill, as the hill of Bashan. 

* My worthy and learned friend, Mr. Parkhurst, in his Hebrew Lexicon, 
gives the following account of the word o'nsttf (derived from nsitf to "put 
or set any thing in order) — roivs of stones, on which the caldrons or pots 
were placed." Lying among these denotes the most abject slavery; for 
this was the " place of rest allotted to the vilest slaves." So our transla- 
tors render it in the margin of Ezek. xl. 43. Dr. Chandler adopts the 
same interpretation of the word. 



DAY XIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 257 

When the ark came in view of Mount Sion, the place of 
its fixed residence for the future, and probably when they 
began to ascend it, Dr. Chandler apprehends this and the 
two following verses were sung. And if these words be read 
with an interrogation, he conceives they will appear suitable 
to the occasion, and worthy of the genuine spirit of poetry. 
u The hill of God," that hill which God hath chosen to 
inhabit, " is it the hill of Bashan, the hill with its craggy 
eminences, the hill of Bashan?" Bashan may boast of its 
proud eminences, its high summits ; but is that the hill 
where God will fix his residence ? The prophet speaks of 
Bashan with contempt and disdain, in comparison of Sion. 
And this agrees well with what immediately follows : — 

16. Why leap ye, or, why look ye askance with envy, ye 
high hills ? This is the hill which God desireth to dwell 
in ; yea, the Lord will abide in it for ever. 

The Psalmist, in commemorating God's former mercies 
and loving-kindnesses, having been led to mention the 
towering hills of Salmon and Bashan, by a masterly transi- 
tion, suddenly resumes his original subject, with a beautiful 
apostrophe to those mountains, letting them know, that 
however proudly they might lift up their heads above the 
rest, or, in the language of poetry, "look askance with envy," 
on Mount Sion, yet this was the mount which Jehovah had 
determined to honour with his special presence ; thither he 
was now ascending with the ark of his strength ; and there, 
between the cherubim, in the place prepared for him, he 
would " dwell for ever ; " till the old dispensation would be 
at an end, till the glory of the Lord should be revealed in 
human nature ; till God should be manifest in the flesh ; 
and the true tabernacle and temple should succeed the 
typical. After that, the privileges of Sion were transferred 
to the Christian church ; she became, and, while the world 
lasts, will continue to be, the " hill in which God delight- 
eth to dwell : " she will, therefore, be justly entitled to the 
pre-eminence over all that may seem to be great and glo- 
rious in the world. 

17. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thou- 
sands of angels ; or, thousands repeated : the Lord is among 
them as in Sinai, in the holy place; or, Sinai is in the 
sanctuary. 

The Psalmist, in the preceding verse, had declared Sion 



258 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. L XVI 1 1. 



to be the habitation of Jehovah. In this verse is described 
the majesty and magnificence of his appearance there, as a 
mighty conqueror of the enemies of his people, riding upon 
the cherubim, as in a triumphal chariot, with all the hosts of 
heaven, as it were, in his retinue. Thus God descended on 
Sinai, with the fire, the cloud, and the glory ; thus he mani- 
fested himself when taking possession of " the holy place " 
prepared for him in Sion ; 2 Chron. v. 13. and in some such 
manner we may suppose King Messiah to have entered 
heaven at his ascension, when he went up in the clouds 
with power and with great glory, and all the attendant 
spirits joined his train, rejoicing to minister to their Lord, 
and increase the pomp and splendour of that glorious day. 

18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity 
captive; thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the re- 
bellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. 

When the ark had ascended Mount Sion, and was de- 
posited in the place assigned for it, the singers are supposed, 
by Dr. Chandler, to have proceeded with this part of the 
Psalm, in which they celebrate the ascension of their God 
and King, by the symbol of his presence, to the heights of 
Sion, after having subdued their enemies, and enriched his 
people with the spoil of the vanquished, and the gifts of 
the tributary nations ; of which much was probably em- 
ployed in the service of the tabernacle, and afterward in 
building the temple, first designed by David, " that the 
Lord God might dwell/' and have a fixed, permanent habi- 
tation, among his people. But this whole transaction, like 
many others of old, being a figurative one, the apostle, 
Eph. iv. 8. has applied the words before us to our blessed 
Saviour, (the true ark, on which the glory rested,) who 
personally ascended up to the highest heavens, led captivity 
captive, by triumphing over his conquered enemies, and 
having received gifts from his heavenly Father, as the fruits 
of his victory, gave them unto men, as was most conducive 
to the establishment of his church, " that the Lord God 
might dwell among them. — Thou hast ascended on high !' ? 
Thou, O Christ, who didst descend, from the right hand of 
the Majesty in the heavens, to the lower parts of the earth, 
art again ascended, from the lower parts of the earth, to the 
right hand of the Majesty in the heavens : "thou hast led 
captivity captive ;" thou hast conquered the conqueror, bound 



DAY Xllf. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



259 



the strong one, redeemed human nature from the grave, and 
triumphantly carried it, with thee, to the throne of God ; 
" thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious 
also ; " and being thus ascended into thy glory, thou hast 
received of the Father the promise of the Spirit with all 
his gifts and graces, to bestow upon the sons of men ; # 
even upon such as heretofore have not only broken thy 
laws, but appeared in arms against thee ; yet of such as 
these, converted by the power of thy gospel, wilt thou form 
and establish a church; "that the Lord God may dwell 
among them;" that so, of thy faithful people, gathered 
from all parts of the world, may be built up a living temple, 
" an habitation of God through the Spirit." 

19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with bene- 
fits : Heb. carries, or, supports us ; even the God of our 
salvation. 20. He that is our God is the God of salvation : 
and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death, Heb. 
the goings forth to death, or, of death. 

The preceding survey of God's dispensations constraineth 
the church to break out into an act of praise, and to bless 
the Preserver of men, the Author of eternal " salvation ; " 
in whose hands " are the goings forth of death ;" in other 
words, who has " the keys of death and the grave :" — Rev. 
i. 18. who is possessed of power to confine, and to release ; 
to kill, and to make alive. 

21. But God shall wound the head of his enemies: and 
the hairy scalp, or, crown of such an one as goeth on still in 
his trespasses. 

The meaning is — God shall strike deep, or exhaust the 
blood of the head of his enemies, even the hairy crown of 
him that goes on in his guilty practices; where the emphasis 
consists in the description of God's enemies, who were such 
as persevered in their criminal actions. This verse begins 
a prediction of that vengeance, which the person who was 

* The Psalmist mentions these gifts as received : — "Thou hast received 
gifts for men;" the apostle, in his citation, sheweth us the end for which 
they were received ; " He gave gifts unto men." Or rather, as the best 
critics have observed, in the Hebrew idiom, to " take gifts for another," 
is the same as to " give them to another." Thus we read, 1 Kings iii. 24. 
— " Take me a sword;" i. e. give, or bring it me. Gen. xviii. 5. — " I will 
take a bit of bread ;*' i. e. for you, or to give it you — " and comfort ye 
vour hearts." 

s 2 



260 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. Lxvnr. 



" ascended on high," would infallibly execute upon his 
impenitent enemies, and which was shadowed forth in the 
destruction of the enemies of Israel, by David, after that 
the ark of God was placed upon the hill of Zion. — See 
2 Sam. viii. The expressions "the head," and the " hairy 
crown," denote the principal part, the strength, the pride, 
and the glory of the adversary, which was to be crushed, 
according to the original sentence ; " He shall bruise thy 
head'" — Gen iii. 15. 

22. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan ; I 
will bring my people again from the depths of the sea : 
23. That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine ene- 
mies : and the tongue of thy dogs in the same. 

Abner, in his conference with the elders of Israel, to bring 
them over to David's interest, tells them, " The Lord hath 
spoken of David, saying ; By the hand of my servant 
David, I will save my people Israel, out of the hand of the 
Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies." — 
2 Sam. iv. 8. Thus Jehovah had promised to repeat in 
Israel, by David, his glorious acts ; to work as signal vic- 
tories and deliverances for his people, as he had formerly 
done in the field of Bashan, and at the Red Sea ; when 
they saw their enemies dead at their feet. By the glorious 
resurrection and triumphant ascension of King Messiah, by 
the conquests of the gospel, and the unparalleled overthrow 
of its opposers, were these figures realized, and these 
shadows changed into substances. 

24. They have seen thy goings, or, marches in procession, 
O God; even the goings, or, marches of my God, my King, 
in, or, into the sanctuary. 

When the ark was safely deposited, the sacrifices were 
offered, the solemnity well nigh concluded, and the whole 
assembly about to return back, Dr. Chandler supposes the 
singers to have struck up, and joined in the remaining part 
of this noble anthem. These words contain a sort of triumph, 
because this great work, of translating the ark, was now so 
happily accomplished. The people of Israel had a pledge 
and earnest of those mighty things which God would do for 
them, by the joyful and victorious manner, in which, with 
the ark of his presence, he had taken possession of the place 
prepared for him on Mount Sion, and gone into the sane- 



DAY XIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



2G1 



tuary." A like pledge and earnest of her future enlarge- 
ment and exaltation, was the ascension of her Lord and 
Head to the Christian church. 

25. The singers went before, the players on instruments 
followed after ; amongst them were the damsels playing with 
timbrels. 

The joy and gladness, expressed by David, and the house 
of Israel, when in solemn procession, with the sound of 
vocal and instrumental music, they " brought up the ark of 
Jehovah, and set it in its place," 2 Sam. vi. 5, 15, 17. may 
be considered as a prelude to that voice of universal exul- 
tation, with which the Christian church, in her holy 
services, doth now celebrate the resurrection and ascension 
of her Redeemer. 

26. Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, 
from the fountain of Israel. 

" Bless ye God in the congregations ; " in this form of 
words, the Israelites are supposed, when accompanying the 
ark, to have reciprocally exhorted and encouraged each 
other to exert their utmost powers in the sacred employ- 
ment of blessing and thanking God : " even the Lord from 
the fountain of Israel;" the "fountain of Israel" is the 
same with the " stock, or family of Israel." — See Isa. 
xlviii. 1. The sense of this latter clause therefore is, 
" Bless the Lord, ye who are sprung from the stock of 
Israel ;" thus is the duty of blessing and thanksgiving en- 
forced on the congregations of the faithful in all ages. 

27. There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes 
of Judah, and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the 
princes of Naphtali. 

The literal rendering of this verse is — " There is little 
Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah their council, the 
princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali." In this 
enumeration of the tribes of Israel, that were present at 
the removal of the ark, four only are mentioned ; Benjamin 
and Judah, who dwelt nearest to the city of David ; Zebulun 
and Naphtali, who were the farthest distant from it ; to show, 
as Dr. Chandler observes, the unanimity of the whole nation, 
and of all the tribes far and near, in attending this solemnity, 
to testify their willing acknowledgment of David for their 
king, and the city of David for their capital, where all the 
great solemnities of religion should be performed, and their 



262 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXVIII. 



annual festivals continually celebrated. Benjamin, though 
the youngest tribe, is named first, and called the " ruler ;" 
because from that tribe sprang Saul, the first king of Israel. 
The attendance of this tribe showed, that all envy and oppo- 
sition to David, from Saul's party, was at an end. Upon 
David's accession to the crown, Judah became the royal 
tribe, and supported the throne by its counsels. Zebulun 
and Naphtali were tribes of eminent learning and know- 
ledge. — See Gen. xlix. 21. Judges v. 14. Thus, after the 
publication of the gospel, the nations flocked into the church, 
both those that were near, and those that were afar off ; 
power, wisdom, and learning, submitted themselves to the 
kingdom, and conspired to set forth the glory of Messiah. 

28. Thy God hath commanded thy strength ; strengthen, 
O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. 

The former part of this verse contains a comfortable as- 
surance, given to the church, that God had made provision, 
and issued out orders for her establishment and security. 
In the latter clause is a prayer, that he would accomplish 
all his counsels concerning her ; and, as he had begun a 
good work, so that he would vouchsafe to perfect it, unto 
the day of the Lord. 

29. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem, shall kings bring 
presents unto thee. 

David foretells, that on the establishment of the then 
church and worship in Jerusalem, the kings of the Gentiles 
should come, and make their oblations at the temple* of 
God; which happened in his days, and those of his son Solo- 
mon, as an earnest and figure of that plenary accession of 
the kings of the earth to the church of Christ, which was to 
take place in the latter days, under the gospel.- — See 2 Sam. 
viii. 9—11. 1 Kings v. 1. x. 1, 24. 2 Chron. ix. 23. Isa. 
lx. 3, 6. Matt. ii. 11. Rev. xxi. 24. 

30. Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of 
the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit 
himself with pieces of silver : scatter thou the people that 
delight in war. 

We have here a prophetical prayer against the enemies 
of the Israelitish church. The whole verse, when literally 

* The tabernacle is called Vn»n, 1 Sam. iii. 3. This might, otherwise, 
seem inconsistent with the supposed occasion of the Psalm, and the times 
of David when there was yet no temple there. — Bishop Lowth. 



DAY XIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



263 



translated, runs thus — " Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, 
the congregation of the mighty among the calves of the 
nations, skipping, or exulting, with pieces of silver ; scatter 
the people that delight in war." By the "wild beast of 
the reeds," is to be understood the Egyptian power, described 
by its emblem, the crocodile, or river horse, creatures living 
among the " reeds " of the Nile. The "calves of the nations " 
intend the objects of worship among the Egyptians, their 
Apsis, Osiris, &c. around which the congregation of the 
"mighty" assembled. And by their skipping with, or 
" exulting in pieces of silver," may either be meant their 
dancing at their idolatrous festivals, with the tinkling in- 
struments, called "Sistra," which might be made of "silver," 
or else it may imply their " glorying in pieces of silver," or 
in their " riches." The last member of the verse is plain— 
" Scatter the people that delight in war." The whole is 
evidently a prayer of the prophet to this effect ; that it 
would please God to bring down and overthrow the strength, 
the pride, and the idolatry of Egypt, that ancient adversary 
and oppressor of Israel.* — The Christian church, in like 
manner, through faith in the power of her Lord, risen from 
the dead, and ascended into heaven, prayeth for the confu- 
sion of her implacable enemies, who delight in opposing 
the kingdom of Messiah. 

31. Princes, or, ambassadors shall come out of Egypt ; 
Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. 

The hostile powers being overthrown, and the church of 
Israel fully established, the nations around her, even those 
which had been most given to idolatry, sued for her friend- 
ship, and came to Jerusalem with their gifts and oblations ; 
as, in like manner, after the defeat of Maxentius and 

* Increpa Regem Egypti populo tuo invidentem, increpa etiam Opti- 
mates qui inter populos bonore et viribus eminent, argenteis clavis, vel 
aliis insignibus ornati. — Bossuet. See Bishop Lowth, Preelect. vi. ad fin. 
edit. 8vo. The sense of the verse cannot be better expressed, than it is by 
Mr. Merrick, in his version, — 

The beast that from his reedy bed, 
On Nile's proud banks, uplifts the head, 
Rebuke, indignant ; nor the throng 
Forget, from whose misguided tongue, 
The heifer, and the grazing steer 
The offer'd vow, unconscious hear ; 
While to the silver's tinkling sound, 
Their feet in solemn dance rebound. 



264 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXViJLI. 



Maximin, the Roman empire, with all its tributary pro- 
vinces, was added to the church of Christ. 

32. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth : O sing 
praises unto the Lord. 

" Wrapped into future times,"" the prophet exhorteth, not 
Judea only, but all " the kingdoms of the earth," to unite in 
chanting forth the praises of their God and Saviour. In the 
fulness of time, this exhortation was heard and obeyed. 
For Eusebius thus describes the state of the church in the 
days of Constantine : — " There was one and the same power 
of the Holy Spirit, which passed through all the members ; 
one soul in all ; the same alacrity of faith ; one common 
consent in chanting forth the praises of God." — Euseb. 
Eccles. Hist. b. x. ch. 2. And it deserves notice that the 
primitive Christians, when, delivered from the rage of per- 
secuting tyrants, they freely celebrated their holy festivals, 
could find no words so well calculated to express the joy and 
gladness of their hearts, as the songs of Moses and David, 
and the prophets, which seemed to have been divinely 
penned on purpose for their use, upon that glorious occasion. 
The reader may see several very curious and beautiful 
instances of this, in the opening of the 10th book of Euse- 
bius's History, and in the panegyric there recorded to have 
been spoken by him, in a full ecclesiastical assembly, to Pau- 
linus, bishop of Tyre, upon the consecration of that church. 

33. To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens which 
were of old ; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a 
mighty voice. 

The praises of the church are sung to him, who, after his 
sufferings here below, reascended to take possession of his 
ancient throne, high above all heavens ; who, from thence, 
speaketh to the world by his glorious gospel, mighty and 
powerful, as thunder, in its effects upon the hearts of men. 
— See Ps. xxix. throughout. The power of Christ's voice, 
when he was on earth, appeared by the effects which fol- 
lowed, when he said, " Young man, arise : Lazarus, come 
forth : Peace, be still ; " and it will yet further appear, 
when " all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of 
the Son of man, and come forth." 

34. Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over 
Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. Heb. the skies. 

God requires his people to ascribe unto him the kingdom, 



DAY XIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



265 



and the power, and the glory ; to acknowledge him as the 
author of life, health, and salvation, of all they are, and all 
they have, in nature and in grace ; to glorify him as the 
Creator and Governor of the world, the Redeemer and 
Sanctifier of his church. 

35. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places : the 
God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his 
people. Blessed be God. 

The Psalmist, here exemplifying the precept laid down in 
the foregoing verse, ascribes to God the glory of his appear- 
ance in the sanctuary, as the God and King of Israel, terri- 
fying and dismaying his enemies, comforting and invigorating 
his people. Such is the presence of a glorified Saviour, by 
his Spirit, in the Christian church. For this, and all other 
his mercies, she is bound continually to say, and, by her 
holy services, continually doth she say, Blessed be God. 



THIRTEENTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

The application of many passages in this Psalm to our Lord, made by 
himself and his apostles, as well as the appointment of the whole, by the 
church, to be used on Good-Friday, direct us to consider it as uttered 
by the Son of God, in the day of his passion. 1 — 5. He describeth his 
sufferings undergone for the sins of men ; 6, 7. prayeth that his disci- 
ples may not be offended at the pain and shame of the cross ; * 8 — 12. 
relateth the usage he met with at the hands of the Jews; 13 — 19. maketh 
his prayer to the Father; 20, 21. complaineth of his desolate estate, of 
the reproach cast upon him, and of the gall and vinegar administered to 
him; 22 — 28. foretelleth the judgments of heaven, about to befall upon 
the Jewish nation ; 29. returneth to the consideration of his own 
sorrows, and prayeth for deliverance ; 30, 31. praiseth the Father for the 
accomplishment of that deliverance ; 32, 33. exhorteth all men to come 
and partake of it ; and, 34. the whole creation to join in a chorus of 
thanksgiving for it ; 35, 36. predicteth the salvation, edification, and 
perpetuity of the church. 



* In confesso est apud Christianos, in Psalmo lxix. nobis ob oculos poni 
Christum, eumque passum. Nos addimus, eumque crucifixum ; quia evan- 
gelistse Matthseus, Marcus, et Johannes, comma vigesimum secundum certse 
circumstantise crucifixionis Christi applicarunt — Notatum igitur volumus, 



266 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXJX. 



1. Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my 
soul. 2. / sink in deep mire, where there is no standing : I 
am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 

The gospels inform us concerning the constancy and 
patience of Christ under his sufferings : the sufferings 
themselves (those in particular of his soul) are largely de- 
scribed in the Psalms ; many of which, and this among the 
rest, seem to have been indited beforehand by the Spirit, 
for his use in the day of trouble. As the head of the 
church, he here beseecheth the Father to " save," through 
him, his mystical body. He compares the sad situation into 
which he was brought, to that of a drowning man. The 
divine displeasure, like a stormy tempest, was let loose 
upon him ; the sins of the world, as deep mire, enclosed 
and detained him ; whilst all the waters of affliction went 
over his head, and penetrated to his vitals. 

3. / am weary of my crying, my throat is dried ; mine 
eyes fail, while I wait for my God. 

This verse describes the effects of those supplications, 
which the Son of God offered up, " with strong cryings and 
tears, in the days of his flesh;" Heb. v. 7. of that thirst, 
which, through loss of blood on the cross, " dried his throat;" 
and of that long and patient endurance, when his " eyes 
failed," and were closed in darkness, while his faith 
" waited" for the deliverance promised by the Father. The 
hour is coming when our eyes must fail, and be closed ; 
but even then, "let us wait for our God :" in this respect, 
" let us die the death" of that righteous " person, who died 
for us ; " and let our last end be like his." 

4. They that hate me without a cause, are more than the 
hairs of my head : they that would destroy me, being mine 
enemies wrongfully, are mighty : then I restored that which 
I took not away. 

The Jews, the Romans, and the spirits of darkness, made 
up that multitude of enemies, which, like an herd of even- 
ing wolves, surrounded the Lamb of God, thirsting after his 
blood, nor resting, till they had drawn forth the very last 

Christum in tota hac sua ad Patrem supplicatione, (est enim ejusdem 
argumenti cum Ps. xxii.) describere mortis et calamitatis suse genus, ut 
maxime pudendum, et ignominiosum. Item, ad ver. 8, 20. 21. — Christus 
nullas hie negligit voces, quse probrum aut ignominiam status, in quo tunc 
erat, designare valent. — Vitringa, Observ. Sacr. lib. ii. cap. ix 



DAY XIII. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



267 



drop of it from his heart. And thus, the only innocent per- 
son in the world suffered for all its guilt, making satisfaction 
for wrongs which he never did, and " restoring; that which 
he took not away."* 

5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness : and my sins are 
not hid from thee. 

These words, in the mouth of David, or any other sinful 
son of Adam, are plain enough. They may nevertheless 
be spoken, as the rest of the Psalm is, in the person of 
Christ, concerning the iniquities committed by us, but 
"laid on him:" whicli he therefore mentions, as if they 
had been his own; the head complaining of diseases inci- 
dent only to the members. f 

6. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, 
be ashamed for my sake ; let not those that seek thee be con- 
founded for my sake, O God of Israel. 7. Because for thy 
sake L have borne reproach ; shame hath covered my face. 

The Son of God prefers a petition to the Father, that his 
disciples may not be scandalized on account of his passion, 
or be tempted to relinquish their trust in God, at beholding 
his only and beloved Son forsaken on the cross ; since it 
was not for any demerit of his own, but for the sake of 
God's glory, as well as man's salvation, that he " bore re- 
proach, and shame covered his face." It ought to be the 
prayer of every Christian, especially if he be a minister of 
the gospel, that his sufferings in the world may not give just 
offence to the brethren, or the church ; which they will never 
do, if he suffers in a good cause, with a good conscience. 

8. I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien 
unto my mother s children. 9. For the zeal of thine house 
hath eaten me up ; and the reproaches of them that re- 
proached thee are fallen upon me. 

The Jews were Christ's "brethren," according to the 
flesh. To them he was as a " stranger and an alien. He 

* " Quse rton rapui"— Ex persona Christi : ita mecum agitur, ac si 
rapta ab altero, ab altero, eoque innoxio repetas ; neque enim impiorurn 
exemplo, Deo rapui honorem debitum ; pro eis solvo quicunque rapuerunt ; 
sicut scriptum est: — "Propter scelus populi mei, percussi eum." — 
Isa. liii. 8. — Bossuet. 

f So this verse is interpreted by the fathers, and many of the commen- 
tators, cited by Poole, in his Synopsis. Thus also Bossuet — " Insipientiam 
meam et delicta mea" — Quae in me suscepi. " Quia posuit in eo Dominus 
miquitates omnium nostrum." — Isa. liii. 6. 



268 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXIX. 



came to his own, and his own received him not. We know, 
said they, that God spake unto Moses, but as for this fellow, 
we know not from whence he is. 1 ' And again, " Thou art 
a Samaritan, and hast a devil." — John i. 11. ix. 29. viii. 
4, 8. The ground of all this enmity was the " zeal " of 
Christ for the reformation and purification of the church, 
which he manifested in his reproofs and exhortations, as 
also by the emblematical act of driving the buyers and sellers 
out of the temple. Upon this latter occasion, the evangelist 
tells us, " His disciples remembered that it was written," 
that is, it was predicted of Messiah in this Psalm, "The zeal 
of thine house hath eaten me up." — Johnii. 17. Therefore, 
as he adds immediately, " The reproaches of them that 
reproached thee, fell on me." In calumniating and blas- 
pheming the works of the Son of God, the Jews reproached 
both the Father, who gave him those works to do, and the 
Spirit, by which he did them : all which reproaches fell on 
the man Christ, as the visible instrument employed in the 
doing of them. This last passage is thus quoted and ap- 
plied by St. Paul — " Even Christ pleased not himself : but 
as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached 
thee, fell on me." — Rom. xv. 3. The usage our Lord met 
with from his brethren, because of his zeal for the house of 
God, should comfort those, who meet with the same usage, 
on the same account. 

10. When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting , that 
was to my reproach. 11./ made sackcloth also my garment ; 
and I became a proverb unto them. 12. They that sit in the 
gate speak against me : and / was the song of the drunkards. 

To expiate the sins of his creatures, the King of glory 
became a man of sorrows ; he put on mortal flesh, as a 
penitential garment ; he fasted, and prayed, and mourned, 
and wept, and humbled himself to the dust, as if he had been 
the offender, and we the righteous persons, that needed no 
repentance. And what return was made him ? — " It was to 
his reproach, and he became a proverb to them," for whom 
he suffered. " They that sat in the gate," or on the "judg- 
ment seat," which used to be in the gates of cities, even the 
senators and judges of the land, the chief priests and elders, 
" spake against him," with cool and deliberate malice ; while 
he was "the song of the drunken" and profligate, who 
more grossly insulted and derided him. The true followers 



DAY XIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



269 



of the holy Jesus will often experience the like treatment, 
from an evil and adulterous generation. 

13. But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an 
acceptable time : O God, in the multitude of thy mercies hear 
me, in the truth of thy salvation. 

The son of God himself, in the midst of sorrows and suf- 
ferings, has recourse to prayer, pleading for his church the 
"mercies" of the Father, set forth in the promises, and his 
"truth" engaged to make those promises good, in the "sal- 
vation " of his chosen, through their head and representative. 
The " acceptable time," in which Christ prayed, was the 
time when he offered the great propitiatory sacrifice. 
Through the merit of that sacrifice it is, that we have an 
" acceptable time, and a day of salvation," allowed us. 
Behold now is that time, behold now is that day ! Let us 
not delay, one moment, to use and improve it aright. 

14. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink ; let 
?ne be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep 
waters. 15. Let not the water-flood everflow me, neither let 
the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth 
upon me. 

Messiah petitions for deliverance from calamities, under 
the same images which were employed, at the beginning of 
the Psalm, to describe those calamities. The purport of 
the petition is, that the sins of the world, and the sufferings 
due to them, may not finally overthrow them, nor the 
grave "shut her mouth upon him" for ever; but that the 
morning of his resurrection may at length succeed the night 
of his passion. Such is also the hope and the prayer of 
the church, and of the Christian here below. 

16. Hear me, O Lord, for thy loving-kindness is good ; 
turn unto me, according to the multitude of thy tender mer- 
cies. 17. And hide not thy face from thy servant, for I am 
in trouble; hear me speedily. 18. Draw nigh unto my 
soul, and redeem it; deliver me because of mine enemies. 
1 9. Thou hast known my reproach, my shame, and my dis- 
honour : mine adversaries are all before thee. 

As afflictions increase, the prayers are redoubled. Christ 
pleads with the Father for redemption from death, on account 
of his divine "loving-kindness and mercy : " of his own great 
"trouble:" of his "enemies," that they might be either 
converted or confounded: of the "reproach, shame, and 



270 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXIX. 



dishonour' ' undergone by him, that they might be wiped 
off, and done away : of the wrong he suffered from his ad- 
versaries, whose iniquitous proceedings were " all before 
God," and known unto him. Deliverance from tribulation 
and persecution is prayed for by the church, and by her 
faithful children upon the same grounds. 

20. Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of 
heaviness : and I looked for some to take pity, but there was 
none; and for comforters, but I found none, 21. They 
gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thrist they gave 
me vinegar to drink. 

The argument urged by Christ, in these most affecting 
words, is, that in the extremity of his passion, he was left 
alone, without a comforter, a friend, or an attendant; while 
all that were round about him, studied to infuse every bitter 
and acrimonious ingredient into his cup of sorrows. This 
was literally as well as metaphorically true, when " they 
gave him to drink vinegar mingled with gall." — See Matt, 
xxvii. 34. John xix. 28. Such are the comforts often ad- 
ministered, by the world, to an afflicted and deserted soul. 

22. Their table* shall become a snare before them; and 
that which should have been for their ivelfare, Heb. their 
peace-offerings, shall become a trap. 

At this verse beginneth a prediction of those dreadful 
judgments, which heaven has since inflicted upon the cruci- 
fiers of the Lord of glory. By their "table becoming a snare, 
and their peace-offerings a trap," is pointed out the conse- 
quence of the Jews' adhering to the legal services, in opposi- 
tion to him, who is "the end of the law, for righteousness." 
After his sufferings and exaltation, to continue under the law, 
became not only unprofitable, but destructive, inasmuch as 
it implied the denial of Messiah's advent, and a renuncia- 

* I have taken the liberty to give a future rendering to the verbs in this 
and the following verses. That they are to be so understood, saith Dr. Ham- 
mond, i. e. in the future sense, by way of prediction, and not as an impre- 
cation, see St. Aug. de Civ. 1. 17. c. 19. " Hsec non optando sunt 
dicta, sed optandi specie, prophetando — These things are not said by the 
way of wishing, but under the show or scheme of wishing, by prophecy." 
And indeed the Hebrew >n» is in the future, and is most fitly rendered, 
" shall be." And so doth the Jewish Arab interpreter observe, that such 
seeming imprecations, as here and elsewhere occur in this book of Psalms, 
are not so much by way of imprecation, as by way of prophecy, or pre- 
diction, of what in God's best judgments would certainly befal man. 
Ham. in loc. 



DAY XII!. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



271 



tion of every evangelical benefit and blessing. The religion 
of God's own appointment was an abomination to him, when 
reduced to the form of godliness, deserted by its power. 
Christians, who pride themselves in the one, while they 
deny and deride the other, would do well to consider this. 

23. Thou wilt darken their eyes that they shall not see, 
and make their loins continually to shake. 

They who loved darkness rather than light, by the righteous 
judgment of God, were permitted to walk on in darkness, while 
the blind led the blind. And such still continues to be the 
state of the Jews, notwithstanding that intolerable weight of 
woe which made "their loins to shake," and bowed down 
their backs to the earth. "The veil remaineth yet upon their 
hearts, in the reading the Old Testament," nor can they see 
therein " the things which belong unto their peace." These 
two last verses are cited, as spoken of Israel, by St. Paul, 
Rom. xi. 9, 10. Afflict us, blessed Lord, if thou seest it good 
for us to be afflicted ; only take not from us, in our affliction, 
the "light" of thy truth, and the "strength" of thy grace. 

24. Thou wilt pour out thine indignation upoii them, and 
thy wrathf ul anger will take hold of them. 

Never was "indignation so poured out," never did "wrath 
so take hold" on any nation, as on that, which once was, 
beyond every other, beloved and favoured. " The wrath," 
says St. Paul, 1 Thess. ii. 16. " is come upon them to the 
uttermost, ets- reXo?, to the end," to the very last dregs of 
the cup of fury. Let every church which boasteth of favours 
bestowed, and privileges conferred upon her, remember the 
consequences of their being abused by Jerusalem ; and let 
every individual do the same. 

25. Their habitation shall be desolate, and none shall dwell 
in their tents. 

Our Lord seems to have had this passage in his view, when 
he said to the Jews, "Behold your house is left unto you deso- 
late." — Matt.xxiii.36. Jerusalem was, by the Roman armies, 
destroyed from the foundations. It hath been since indeed 
rebuilt, and inhabited by Gentiles, by Christians, and by Sa- 
racens ; but no more by the Jewish people. It is remarkable 
that this verse is applied, Acts i. 20. to Judas, considered as 
the head and representative of that apostate nation, which 
rejected and delivered up its Prince and Saviour to be cruci- 
fied. " He was guide to them that took Jesus." — Acts i. 16. 



272 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LX1X. 



The punishment, therefore, as well as the sin of Israel is 
portrayed in his person, and the same prophecy is applica- 
ble to him and to his countrymen.* 

26. For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and 
they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.^ 

The cause of the foregoing calamities, inflicted on the 
Jews, is here assigned, namely, that instead of mourning 
and sympathizing with Messiah, in the day when Jehovah 
laid on him the iniquities of us all, and afflicted him for our 
sakes, they, by reproaches and blasphemies, aggravated 
his sufferings to the uttermost ; and afterward continued to 
use his disciples in the same manner. It were to be wished, 
that the sorrows of the penitent, when wounded with a 
sense of sin, never subjected him to the scorn and contempt 
of those, who would be thought Christians. 

27. Thou wilt add iniquity to their iniquity ; and they 
shall not come into thy righteousness. 

As they added affliction to the afflictions of Christ, so 
God permitted J them to go on, blinded and deserted, in 
their wickedness, "adding sin to sin," filling up the mea- 
sure of their fathers, still obstinately refusing to come into 
the church, and partake of the "righteousness" which is by 
faith. From all thy judgments, good Lord, deliver us; but 
above all, from that which punishes one sin with another, 
and seals up the reprobate to destruction. 

28. They shall be blotted out of the book of the living, and 
not be written among the righteous. 

By "the book of the living," in which the names of the 
"righteous are written," is to be understood the register of 
the true servants and worshippers of God, of those who are 
"justified," or made "righteous," through faith. In this 
register, the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the ancient 

* " Fiat habitatio eorum deserta" — De Juda proditore exponitur, Act. i. 
20. Congruit etiam Judseis, eversa Hierosolyma, quod Christus predix- 
erat : " Ecce relinquetur vobis domus vestra deserta." Luc. xiii. 35. — 
Bossuet. 

t Datur his in verbis ratio longe maxima et gravissima, propter quam 
Judsei terra sua essent ejiciendi, ac nomine et prerogativis Populi Dei pri- 
vandi, quia nimirum, " eum persequuntur," quern a Deo "percussum" vi- 
dent, hoc est, quern vident ira Divina maximo opere pressum, et ad summam 
a^rjfiovLav redactum. — Vitringa, Observat. Sacr. lib. ii. cap. ix. 

t Deserendo, et permittendo, non operando ; ut Theologi norunt. — 
Bossuet. 



DAY XI 1 1. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



273 



fathers of the Israelitish race, with their true children, stand 
recorded ; but the degenerate and apostate Jews have been 
long since " blotted out they are no longer the peculium 
of heaven, nor have they any part or portion in the inherit- 
ance of the sons of God. Thus Ezekiel, " They shall not 
be in the assembly of my people, nor shall they be written 
in the writing of the house of Israel." — xiii. 9. And our 
Lord, in his conversations with the Jews, took every oppor- 
tunity to tell them, that they, for their unbelief, should be 
" cast out," and that the Gentiles, obeying the call of the 
gospel, should come from all quarters of the world, and 
"sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the 
kingdom of God." 

29. But I am poo?" and sorrowf ul : let thy saving health, 
O God, or, thy salvation shall, or, can set me up on high. 

Messiah returns to the subject of his own sufferings, 
which were not a little enhanced by the consideration, that 
so many of his people would not be the better for them. 
" I am poor and sorrowful ; poor," for he was divested of 
his very garments ; " sorrowful," for he was covered over 
with stripes and wounds. But he knew the hour was 
coming, when the salvation of God would raise him from 
the dead, and " set him up on high." Thus should a dis- 
ciple of Jesus depart out of the world, joyfully relinquish- 
ing its goods, patiently bearing its evils, and confidently 
expecting a resurrection to glory. 

30. I will praise the name of God with a song, and mag- 
nify it with thanksgiving. 

Here, as in the 22nd and many other Psalms, the scene 
changes from sorrow to joy ; from a state of suffering to 
one of triumph ; from the passion to the resurrection. 
Jesus, risen from the dead, declares his resolution of prais- 
ing and magnifying the Father, for the salvation of the 
world, happily accomplished by his labours and sufferings, 
which were now for ever at an end. The church does the 
same incessantly, on earth, and in heaven. 

31. This also shall please the Lord, better than ox, or, 
bullock, that hath horns and hoofs. 

A bullock was in its prime for sacrifice, under the law, 
when it began to put forth its " horns and hoofs." The 
infinite distance therefore, in point of value, between the 
best legal sacrifices, and those of obedience, love, and praise, 

T 



274 



A COMMENTARY 



|_PS. LXIX. 



as offered by Christ, and, through him, by his church, under 
the gospel, is pointed out in this verse. — See Ps. xl. 6, 
&c. 1. 23. 

32. The humble shall see this, and be glad : and your 
hea?*t shall live that seek God. Or, Be seeking God, and 
your heart shall live. 

It is foretold, that the " humble," or the " poor in spirit," 
i. e. the meek and lowly followers of the holy Jesus, should 
find everlasting joy and comfort in the glad tidings of sal- 
vation ; all mankind are exhorted to " seek after God," as 
manifested in the gospel of his Son ; and the reward pro- 
mised is " life," spiritual and eternal.* 

33. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his 
prisoners. 

An argument for our " seeking after God," is the expe- 
rience of patriarchs, prophets, and saints, who in all ages 
have sought, and found him, by repentance and faith : and 
that the Lord " despiseth not his prisoners," is evident from 
what he did and suffered, to deliver their souls from the 
bondage of sin, their bodies from the prison of the grave, 
and both from the dungeon of hell. Therefore, — 

34. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas and 
every thing that moveth therein. 

The mercies of God in Christ are such, that they cannot 
worthily be praised by any thing less than an universal 
chorus of the whole old and new creation ; and what should 
such a chorus celebrate, but those mercies, by which all 
things have been made, preserved, and redeemed ? 

35. For God will save Sion, and build the cities of Judah, 
that they, i. e. men, may dwell there, and have it in pos- 
session. 

The salvation and edification of the church followed the 
passion and resurrection of Christ. " God will save Sion," 
that is, the church, which at first consisted of the apostles, 
who were Jews, and others of that nation, by them converted 
to the faith. " And build the cities of Judah," or cause 
churches to arise in all the world, which shall from thence- 
forth take the names, and inherit the privileges of " Israel 
and Judah ; that men," even such as God shall call from 
among the nations, " may dwell there," as citizens of the 

* Haec et sequentia ad redemptionem per Christum, sub figura solutoe 
captivitatis, videntur pertinere. — Bossuet. 



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275 



New Jerusalem, " and," instead of the rejected Jews, " have 
it in their possession." 

36. The seed also of his servants shall inherit it, and they 
that love his ?iame shall dwell therein. 

The continuation of the church in the posterity of the 
faithful is here predicted. Accordingly, the descendants of 
the proselyted Gentiles have been in possession of the 
gospel privileges for above 1700 years. And thus it will 
be, while they abide in the faith, and " love the name " of 
Jesus. Should the Gentiles apostatize as the Jews did, 
and the Jews be converted as the Gentiles were, then the 
gospel would go from the Gentiles to the Jews, as before 
it went from the Jews to the Gentiles ; then would there 
" come out of Sion the Deliverer, to turn away ungodliness 
from Jacob." — Rom, xi. 26. 



PSALM LXX. 

The words of this Psalm occur, without any material variations, in Ps. xl. 
ver. 13. to the end. The reader is therefore referred thither for the 
exposition ; as before, in the case of the 53d and 14th Psalms. 



FOURTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXL 

ARGUMENT 

The Psalmist, sorely distressed in his old age (see ver. 9, and 18.) by the 
rebellion of Absalom, which was his great affliction at that period of 
life, ver. 1. prayeth for the divine assistance; pleading, 2. God's right- 
eousness, 3. and promise; 4. the iniquity of his persecutors ; 5, 6. the 
mercies vouchsafed him from his birth ; 7, 8. his being deserted and 
given up by man ; 9. his old age ; 10, 11. the taunts and insults of his 
adversaries; 12. he repeateth his request; 13. prophesieth the down- 
fall of his enemies ; declareth, 14. his hope, 15. his gratitude, 16. his 
faith; 17, 18. wisheth to be preserved, that he might show forth the 
power and glory of God, whose righteousness and marvellous acts, 19. 
he extolleth, and thence, 20, 21. promiseth himself a final redemption 
from all his troubles, and a restoration to honour and comfort; when, 
22 — 24. he shall sing and speak the praises of the Lord. 

1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be put 
to confusion. 

T 2 



276 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXI. 



The promises of salvation are made to those, who, re- 
nouncing all confidence in the world and themselves, 
" trust " in God alone for it. For this reason the Psalmist 
so often begins his prayer with a declaration of his " faith," 
which is to the soul in affliction, what an anchor is to a 
ship in distress. 

2. Deliver* me in thy righteousness, and cause me to 
escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. 

A second argument, here used, is the " righteousness " of 
God, who cannot but be faithful and just to his own gracious 
word. By that word he had engaged to establish the tem- 
poral throne of David, and the eternal throne of the Son of 
David. And, by the same word, he has engaged to bring 
those, who believe in him, through sufferings to glory. 

3. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may con- 
tinually resort : thou hast given commandment to save me, 
for thou art my rock and my fortress. 

The protection of the Almighty, to which the troubled 
soul "resorts" by faith and prayer, is compared to that, 
which a well fortified castle, or town, affords to those within 
it, in time of war. And the plea, upon which this petition 
is enforced, is in a manner the same with the former, 
namely, the declared purpose of God to be the Saviour of 
his servants ; " Thou hast given commandment to save me." 

4. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, 
out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 

The divine assistance is implored by the Psalmist, thirdly, 
on the foot of the goodness of his cause, and the iniquity of 
his enemies. Such were Absalom, Ahitophel, &c. to David ; 
Judas and the Jews to Christ ; and such are the world, the 
flesh, and the devil, to the Christian. Against them he is 
to pray and fight continually ; ever remembering that 
wickedness is at least as dangerous when it tempts, as when 
it persecutes ; and can smile as well as frown a man dead. 

5. For thou art my hope, O Lord God ; thou art my 
trust from my youth. 6. By thee have I been holden up 
from the womb : thou art he that took me out of my mother s 
bowels, my praise shall be continually of thee. 

Former mercies are urged, as a fifth motive, for the 
divine goodness to continue those mercies. The watchful 
care of heaven over us, at an age when we are able to take 
no care of ourselves, deserves consideration. The love of 



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277 



Jesus shown, is passing through a state of childhood for 
us, deserves a still more deep and devout consideration. 

7. / am as a wonder unto many ; but thou art my strong 
refuge. 

David, banished from his kingdom, was regarded as a 
"wonder," or a prodigy of wretchedness; Christ, in his 
state of humiliation upon earth, was a " sign," every where 
" spoken against," as Simeon foretold he would be. — Luke 
i. 34. The Christian who lives by faith, who quits pos- 
session for reversion, and who chooses to suffer with his 
Saviour here, that he may reign with him hereafter, ap- 
pears to the men of the world as a monster of folly and 
enthusiasm. But God is the " strong refuge " of all such. 

8. Let my mouth he filled with thy praise, and with thy 
honour all the day. 

Whatever men say or think of him, the royal prophet 
desires still to strengthen and to delight himself in doing 
the will, singing the praises, and setting forth the glory of 
God. Such likewise was thy desire, O blessed Jesus, in 
the days of thy flesh. Ever grant that it may be ours. 

9. Cast me not off in the time of .old age, forsake me not 
when my strength faileth. 

David, mindful of the noble actions which, through God's 
assistance, he had achieved in his youth, beseeches him 
not to desert his servant, when persecuted by a rebellious 
son, in his old age. The weakness and temptations pecu- 
liar to that time of life, render this a petition necessary for 
us all to make, before we are overtaken by it. The church 
findeth but too much occasion to make the same, now that 
she is sunk in years ; when faith languisheth, charity 
waxeth cold, and the infirmities of a spiritual old age are 
coming fast upon her. 

10. For mine enemies speak against me: and they that 
lay wait for my soul, take counsel together, 11. Saying, 
God hath forsaken him, persecute and take him, for there 
is none to deliver him. 

They who saw David ascending Mount Olivet in tears, 
when Absalom had driven him from Jerusalem, and they 
who beheld Jesus led forth out of the same Jerusalem to be 
crucified on Mount Calvary, were tempted to regard both 
the one and the other as finally deserted by God. They 
who view the church, or any member thereof, under afflic- 



278 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXI I 



tion and persecution, are too frequently tempted to think 
the same, and to act accordingly ; though they are so 
plainly taught the contrary, by the restoration of the king 
of Israel, and the resurrection of the Son of God. 

12. O God, be not far from me : O my God, make haste 
to my help. 13. Let them, or, they shall be confounded and 
consumed that are against my soul ; let them, or, they shall 
be covered with reproach and dishonour, that seek my hurt. 

As the insolence of his persecutors increaseth, the dis- 
tressed monarch crieth more earnestly unto God ; and is so 
far from relinquishing his hope, that, in the midst of his 
sorrows, he foreseeth and foretelleth the final confusion of 
his enemies. The Christian, who has faith in the promises, 
may do likewise, in the worst of times and the worst of 
circumstances. For the day cometh when all the workers 
of wickedness shall be destroyed, and " death and hell 
shall be cast into the lake of fire." — Rev. xx. 14. 

14. But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee 
more and more. 15. My mouth shall show forth thy right- 
eousness and thy salvation all the day long : for I know not 
the numbers thereof 

As there is no end to the loving-kindness of Jehovah, 
there should be none to our gratitude. The " hope " of a 
Christian " giveth songs in the night," and enableth him 
to be thankful even in the dark season of affliction. Paul 
and Silas not only prayed, but also " sang praises to God, 
in a prison, at midnight." — Acts xvi. 25. 

16. I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will 
make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 

He who goeth to the battle against his spiritual enemies, 
should go, confiding, not in his own " strength," but in that 
of the Lord God; not in his own "righteousness," but in 
that of his Redeemer. Such an one engageth with Omni- 
potence on his side, and cannot but be victorious. 

17. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth ; and 
hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18. Now 
also when L am old and grey-headed, O God, forsake me 
not ; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, 
and thy power to every one that is to come 

It was the God of Israel who " taught " David, as a 
warrior, to conquer, and, as a Psalmist, to " declare the 
wondrous works " of his great Benefactor. He requests 



DAY XIV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



279 



to be preserved in his old age, until, by completing his 
victories and his Psalms composed to celebrate them, he 
had " showed the strength and power of God," not only to 
the men of the "generation" in which he lived, but also to 
" every one that should come," or arise in after times, and 
chant those divine hymns in the assemblies of the faithful 
throughout all ages. Doth St. Paul wish to have his life 
continued upon earth 1 It is only that he may edify the 
church, and glorify God. Otherwise, it is far " better," 
says he, " to depart, and to be with Christ." 

19. Thy righteousness, O God, is very high, who hast 
done great things : O God, ivho is like unto thee ! 

What a force is now added to these words, by the actual 
exaltation of the righteous Saviour, " very high " above 
all heavens, and by the " great things " which he hath 
" done " for our souls ? Let us think on these things, and 
we shall most affectionately say, with David, " O God, who 
is like unto thee !" Delightful is thy love, O Lord Jesu, 
beyond all pleasure, more precious than much fine gold, and 
honourable above the thrones of the mighty ! The world 
languisheth and fadeth away at thy presence, whose beauty 
is immortal, whose treasures diminish not, and whose glory 
endureth through the unnumbered ages of eternity. 

20. Thou which hast showed me great and sore trouble, 
shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again fi^om 
the depths of the earth. 21. Thou shalt increase my great- 
ness, 'and comfort me on every side. 

In David, delivered out of his troubles, and restored to 
his throne, we behold our Lord, after his " great and sore 
trouble, literally quickened, or revived, brought up again 
from the depths of the earth, increased in greatness, and 
comforted on every side." In him we were virtually, by his 
grace we are actually, raised from sin and sorrow to right- 
eousness and comfort; and, through his power we shall be 
raised from dust and corruption, to glory and immortality. 

22. I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy 
truth, O my God ; unto thee will I sing with the harp, O 
thou Holy One of Israel. 23. My lips shall greatly rejoice, 
when I sing unto thee: and my soul, which thou hast re- 
deemed. 24. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness 
all the day long ; for they are confounded, for they are 
brought unto shame, that seek my hurt. 



280 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXII. 



The truth of God, in accomplishing his promises, by the 
redemption of our souls, and the confusion of our spiritual 
enemies, is a subject which demands a never-ceasing tribute 
of gratitude and love, of praise and thanksgiving. To cele- 
brate it aright, with the melody of instruments, voices, and 
affections, all in perfect concord, is the duty and delight of 
the church militant ; which, when thus employed, affords 
the best resemblance of the church triumphant. 



PSALM LXXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

David, praying for Solomon, foretelleth his peaceful and glorious reign, 
and, under that figure, in most lively and beautiful colours, portrayeth 
the kingdom of Messiah ; 1 — 4. its righteous administration ; 5. its 
duration; 6, 7. its blessings; 8. its extent; 9 — 11. the accession of 
the Gentiles to it ; 12 — 14. the redemption to be wrought, and, 15. the 
prayers and praises to be offered up in it ; 16. its miraculous increase 
and fruitfulness ; 17. its perpetuity and universality ; 18, 19. a doxology 
sung to God for it. 

1. Give the king thy judgments ; O God, and thy right- 
eousness unto the kings son* 2. He shall judge thy people 
with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 

In this prophetical prayer, the aged monarch of Israel, 
about to resign the kingdom into the hands of his son Solo- 
mon, makes unto God the request of a wise father for him. 
He asks such a portion of wisdom and integrity from above, 
as might enable the young prince to govern aright the 
people of God, and to exhibit to the world a fair resemblance 
of that king of Israel, who was, in the fulness of time, to 
sit upon " the throne of his father David," Luke i. 32. " to 
reign in righteousness," Isa. xxxii. 1. "and to have all 
judgment committed unto him." — John v. 22. 

3. The mountains shall bring, or, bear peace, and the 
little hills, in, or, by righteousness. 

In other words, peace, manifested by its consequence, 
plenteousness, shall be upon all the mountains and little 

* The " king," and the " king's son," are the same person ; a cha- 
racter that belongs to none so properly as to Solomon, who was the first 
prince that was at the same time " king," and " son of a king." — Mudge. 
Dr. Chandler is of the same opinion. 



DAY XIV. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



281 



hills of Judea, by means of that righteous judgment which 
Solomon will execute in the land. And thus in the days 
of Messiah — " Beautiful upon the mountains were the feet 
of them that brought the glad tidings of peace ;" which 
the fruits of the Spirit, in the churches, plainly showed to 
have been derived from above, through the righteousness 
of the Redeemer, producing " peace on earth." 

4. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the 
children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. 

It is the part of justice, in well ordered governments, to 
see that the " poor and needy have right ; " to break the 
teeth of "oppression," and pluck indigence from its de- 
vouring jaws. This Christ performed, when, having under- 
taken the cause of his people against the adversary, he 
" saved " them by his resurrection, and " broke in pieces " 
the power of the great oppressor. 

5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon 
endureth, throughout all generations. 

The kingdom of Solomon continued, in his own person, 
only for forty years ; but in his seed, that is, Christ, it is 
established throughout all generations. He reigneth "over 
the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall 
be no end." — Luke i. 33. His dominion over the world by 
his providence, and in the church by the influences of his 
grace, is to be coeval with that of the celestial luminaries 
in nature. And when " the moon shall be confounded 
and the sun ashamed," when the heavens shall be dissolved, 
and the earth burnt up, " the Lord of hosts shall reign on 
Mount Zion," in the Jerusalem above, in glory everlasting. 
— See Isa. xxiv. 23. 

6. He shall come down like the rain upon the mown grass: 
as showers that water the earth. 

Refreshing and salutary, as the drops of heaven to the 
shorn and parched grass, is the mild administration of a 
wise and pious prince to his subjects. And what image 
can convey a better idea of those most beneficial and blessed 
effects, which followed the descent of the Son of God upon 
the earth, and that of the Spirit, at the day of Pentecost ? 
The prophets abound with descriptions of those great events, 
couched in terms borrowed from the philosophy of rain and 
dew. — See Isa. xliv. 3. lv. 10. Hosea xiv. 5. Heb. vi. 7. 
In the last words of David, the reign of Messiah is described 



282 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXII. 



under this figure, — " He shall be as the tender grass spring- 
ing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." I cannot 
help subjoining Bishop Sherlock's masterly illustration of 
this passage : — " There cannot be a more lively image of 
a flourishing condition, than what is conveyed to us in these 
words. The grass, which is forced by the heat of the sun, 
before the ground is well prepared by rains, is weak and 
languid, and of a faint complexion ; but when clear shining 
succeeds the gentle showers of spring, the field puts forth its 
best strength, and is more beautifully arrayed, than even 
Solomon in all his glory." — Disc. vol. v. p. 89. 

7. In his days shall the righteous flourish : and abund- 
ance of peace, so long as the moon endureth. 

By means of rain and dew, the grass springeth out of the 
ground. In the kingdom of Solomon, through the influences 
of his wisdom, good men were encouraged, righteousness 
flourished, and the land enjoyed tranquillity. In the days 
of Messiah, the fruit of the Spirit of righteousness, and the 
fruit of righteousness, was " abundance of peace." He was 
the true " Melchisedek, or king of righteousness," and 
therefore the true " Solomon, the King of Salem, the Prince 
of Peace." And his peace is to endure, when the moon 
shall have ceased to vary her appearances, and when a 
period shall be put to all sublunary vicissitudes. 

8. He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the 
river unto the ends of the earth, or, land. 

As applicable to the kingdom of Solomon, this verse de- 
scribes the extent and limits of the promised " land :" if it 
be interpreted of the wide extended empire of Christ, that 
empire knows no bounds, but those of the " earth " itself. 
The Hebrew word is often used for both, and, as the 
dominion of Solomon represented that of a greater than 
Solomon, both are comprehended in the same words. And 
it is observable, that when the prophet Zechariah foretells 
the advent of "the King of Sion," in great humility, "meek, 
and riding on an ass," he describes the extent of his king- 
dom in these words : — " His dominion shall be even from 
sea to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth." 
— Zech. ix. 9, 10. 

9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before 
him : and his enemies shall lick the dust. 

Distant nations submitted themselves to the sceptre, and 



DAY XIV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



283 



prostrated themselves before the throne of Solomon, fore- 
showing the conversion of the heathen world (in the 
figurative language of prophecy frequently styled, " the 
wilderness") to the gospel, and the lowly adoration to be 
made by penitent sinners, at the footstool of the King of 
glory. They who take not the advantage of the day of 
grace, will feel the rod of his power in the day of vengeance, 
when his " enemies " shall be subjected to him; when death 
himself shall be destroyed ; and dust shall be the serpent's 
meat." — Isa. Ixv. 25. Gen. iii. 14. 

10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring 
presents : the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 

This verse suggcsteth to our meditation, several curious 
and interesting particulars, all tending to one and the same 
end. As, 1. The munificent presents, and immense trea- 
sures, brought to Solomon from Tarshish, and the isles of 
the Gentiles, 1 Kings x. 22, &c. 2. The coming of the 
queen of Sheba from the south, with her gifts and acknow- 
ledgments to Jerusalem. 3. The offerings made by the 
eastern magi, as the first-fruits of the Gentiles, to the Sa- 
viour of the world. And, lastly, the accession of the 
nations to the faith, (even these " isles of the Gentiles,") 
bringing their glory and honour into the city of God. — See 
Tsa. xlix. lx. Rev. xxi. 24. 

11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations 
shall serve him. 

It is said, 1 Chron. ix. that " all the kings of the earth 
sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom : that 
he reigned over all the kings, from the river even unto tli3 
land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt ; and 
that they brought unto him horses out of Egypt, and out 
of all lands." The dominion of Christ is universal ; and it 
will appear to be so at the last day ; when, before men and 
angels, he shall prove his claim to the title, " King of kings, 
and Lord of lords." 

12. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth ; the 
poor also, and him that hath no helper. 13. He shall spare 
the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. 
14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; 
and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 

These three verses, considered as describing the just and 
merciful administration of Solomon, need no exposition- 



284 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXI1. 



As prophetical of Messiah's reign, they may be thus con- 
nected with the context, and paraphrased — The kings and 
the nations of the earth shall accede to the church of Christ, 
induced so to do by the fame of his mercy, no less than by 
that of his majesty. They shall hear of the great deliver- 
ance wrought by him for the poor in spirit, who made their 
prayer unto him, confessing their sins, and acknowledging 
the inability of any creature, in heaven or earth, to recover 
them from their lost estate. These he shall spare, and par- 
don, and save from sin, and from death, and from hell. 
He shall, for this purpose, break the snares, and destroy 
the power of their great oppressor, the devil ; and so dear 
shall their blood be in his sight, that he shall shed his own 
for it ; after which, arising to a new and immortal life, he 
shall accomplish the eternal redemption of his servants. 

15. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the 
gold of Sheba ; prayer also shall be made for him continu- 
ally, and daily shall he be praised. 

As Solomon's reign was long and prosperous, that of 
Messiah is everlasting and glorious : as the rich brought 
presents to the one, so the nations offered up themselves, 
their possessions, their souls, and their bodies, to the other : 
as the former was continually prayed for, and blessed by 
the subjects, who owed peace and plenteousness to his 
government, so, with regard to the latter, prayer is made 
ever in the church for the increase and consummation of 
his kingdom : and daily is he praised by his people, for all 
the riches of grace, for all the comforts of the Spirit, and 
for all the hopes of glory, which they possess, and enjoy, 
through him. 

16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth, upon 
the top of the mountains ; the fruit thereof shall shake like 
Lebanon ; and they of the city shall flourish like grass upon 
the earth. 

It is here foretold, that in the days of Solomon, wonderful 
shall be the fruitfulness of Judea ; of the country in corn, 
by which the city is supported ; and of the city in people, 
who, by their numbers, constitute the strength of the king. 
The fruitfulness of the country was to be so great, that from 
an " handful of corn," and that sown on the most barren 
spot, the " top of a mountain," should issue a produce, the 
ears of which would " shake," and wave in the wind, like 



DAY XIV. M. P.j OX THE PSALMS. 



285 



the woods of " Lebanon; " while in the city, a fresh progeny 
of Israelites was still springing up and advancing to matu- 
rity, like the unnumbered blades of grass, in a field which 
the Lord hath blessed. — See 1 Kings iv. 20, &c. Such, 
under the reign of King Messiah, was the amazing increase 
of the "word," when sown in hearts barren before; such 
the astonishing multiplication of citizens in the Christian 
church; as it is written. Acts vi. 7. — "And the word of 
God increased ; and the number of the disciples multiplied 
in Jerusalem greatly."' So let it be, blessed Lord, where- 
soever thy gospel is preached, throughout the world. 

17. His name shall remain for ever ; his name shall be 
continued, Heb. propagated, as long as the sun : and men 
shall be blessed in him ; all nations shall call Mm blessed. 

The Person and kingdom of Solomon have been used ail 
along as a channel, through which to convey a most illus- 
trious prophecy concerning those of Christ. But here the 
type seems to be wholly absorbed in the great antitype. 
His "name/ 5 his saving name, "shall indeed remain for 
ever, propagated,'" with the faith, through all the genera- 
tions of men, while the " sun,"' another of his representa- 
tives, shall continue to maintain his station in the heavens, 
and to diffuse his light upon the earth. In Him, at it was 
promised to Abraham, shall all the true children of Abra- 
ham be "blessed" with the blessings of eternity; "all 
nations shall call Him blessed," as they are taught to do 
in the remaining verses of this exalted composition. 

18. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who 
only doth wondrous things. 19. And blessed be his glorious 
name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with his 
glory; Amen and Amen. 

Blessed, therefore, be thou, O Lord Jesu ! for thou art 
the Lord God, even the God of Israel, who hast wrought 
such miracles of mercy for the salvation of the church : 
and blessed, by the tongues of men and angels, be thy 
holy and glorious name ; and let the whole earth be filled 
with the amazingly transcendent and inconceivable majesty 
of thy most excellent glory, for evermore ! So be it, so be it. 



286 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXIII. 



FOURTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The person speaking in this Psalm relates, 1 — 3. the process of a tempta- 
tion, occasioned by his beholding the prosperity of wicked men upon 
earth, which he describes, 4 — 1 1. with, 12 — 14. the suggestions of nature 
on the occasion ; but in opposition to these, grace urges, 15. the ex- 
amples of saints, 16. the difficulty of judging concerning God's dispen- 
sations, and, above all, 17 — 20. the final issue of things at the last day, 
and the end of that prosperity, which had excited his envy. Perfectly 
satisfied with these considerations, 21, 22. he owns his uneasiness to 
have sprung from his ignorance ; and, 23 — 28. closes the Psalm with 
the most affectionate expressions of his full trust and confidence in the 
divine mercy and goodness. No temptation is more common, or more 
formidable, than that above mentioned. A more powerful and effectual 
antidote to it cannot be devised, than this most instructive and beauti- 
ful Psalm affords. 

1 . Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a 
clean heart. 

This declaration seems to be the result of a long struggle 
in the mind of the Psalmist, between nature and grace, in 
which the latter proves victorious, and, notwithstanding all 
appearances to the contrary, determines, against the sugges- 
tions of the former, that God is the same good and merci- 
ful God to his church and people, if they do but preserve 
inviolable their fidelity to him, whether, in this world, they 
enjoy prosperity, or endure affliction. 

2. But as for me, my feet were almost gone : my steps 
had well nigh slipt. 3. For I was envious at the foolish 
when / saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

Temptations impede the progress of the Christian in the 
way of righteousness, and incline him to fall ; as it happens 
to one who walks in a slippery path. The temptation, here 
complained of, is that excited by seeing wealth and honour 
in the hands of infidelity and villany, while the faithful ser- 
vants of God are covered with infamy, and oppressed by 
poverty. A prospect of this sort is apt to make us distrust 
the love of heaven toward us, and its Providence over us. 



DAY XIV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



287 



For our benefit therefore, in the course of this Psalm, the 
disease is particularized, and the remedy prescribed. 

4. For there are no bands, or, pangs in their death : but 
their strength is firm. 

Health and strength are to be reckoned among those 
temporal blessings, which the long-suffering of God some- 
times permits the ungoldly to enjoy. And accordingly we 
find men of that cast who live without sickness, and die in a 
manner without pain ; while others, of a contrary character, 
are worn with chronical, or racked with acute disorders, 
which bring them with sorrow and torment to the grave. 

5. They are not in trouble as other men : neither are they 
plagued like other men. 

Calamities which overwhelm the small concerns of the 
poor righteous man, approach not the borders of the wealthy 
sinner. Far from poverty, as free from disease, he seems to 
pass his days exempted from the miseries of mankind, with- 
out labour or anxiety ; and not so much as to think of those, 
who, distressed on all sides, can scarcely earn their bread 
by the sweat of their brows. — See this sentiment beautifully 
dilated, Job xxi. See also Jer. xii. 1. 

6. Therefore, pride compasseth them about as a chain : 
violence covereth them as a garment. 

Among men who have not the love of God in their hearts, 
or his fear before their eyes, pride and oppression are the 
offspring of worldly prosperity. The daughters attend the 
mother wherever she goeth, and show themselves openly 
without reserve. " Pride compasseth them about as a 
chain;" they wear it for an ornament about their necks, as 
gold chains, collars, or necklaces, were worn; — See Cant, 
iv. 9. discovering it by their stately carriage. — See Isa.iii. 16. 
" Violence covereth them as a garment;" it appeareth out- 
wardly, in all they say, or do, and engrosseth the whole 
man; they are, as the English phrase is, "made up of it." 

7. Their eyes stand out with fatness : they have more 
than heart could wish. 

"A man may be known by his look," saith the son of 
Sirach, Ecclus. xix. 29. The choleric, the lascivious, the 
melancholy, the cunning, &c. frequently bear their tem- 
pers and ruling passions strongly marked on their counte- 
nances: but more especially doth the soul of a man look 
forth at his "eyes." The "pride" of the ungodly, occa- 



288 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXIJI. 



sioned by great and unexpected success in the world, hardly 
ever fails to bewray itself in this way. 

8. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly ; concerning 
oppression they speak loftily. 

Prosperity, in an irreligious heart, breeds " corruption," 
which from thence is emitted by the breath in conversation, 
to infect and taint the minds of others. A circle of fawning 
dependants is never wanting, to whom the poor, vain, and 
ignorant wretch, exalted in his own conceit above the level 
of mortality, may, from the chair, without control, dictate 
libertinism and infidelity, bidding defiance to the laws of 
God and man. 

9. They set their month against the heavens ; and their 
tongue walketh through the earth. 

The blessings, for which a Christian praises his God, only 
cause the infidel to blaspheme him. So true is that of So- 
lomon — "The prosperity of fools destroyeth them." What 
a pity is it, that the former should ever be less zealous and 
indefatigable in diffusing his piety, than we know the latter 
is in propagating his blasphemies through the earth! 

10. Therefore his people return thither : and waters of a 
full cup are wrung out to them. 

It seemeth impossible to ascertain, with any degree of 
precision, the meaning of this verse, or to whom it relates. 
Some think it intends those people who resort to the com- 
pany of the wicked, because they find their temporal advan- 
tage by it; while others are of opinion, that the people of 
God are meant, w T ho, by continually revolving in their 
thoughts the subject here treated of, namely, the prosperity 
of the wicked, are sore grieved, and enforced to shed tears 
in abundance. Mr. Mudge translates the verse thus — 
" Therefore let his (God's) people come before them, and 
waters in full measure would be wrung out from them." 
That is, " Should God's people fall into their hands, they 
would squeeze them to the full : they would wring out all 
the juice in their bodies." He takes " waters in full mea- 
sure," to have been a proverbial expression. 

11. And they say, How doth God know? and is there 
knowledge in the Most High ? 

They who interpret the foregoing verse of the people of God, 
tempted by the success of the ungodly to distrust his provi- 
dence, suppose this and the following verses to be uttered by 



DAY XIV. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



289 



" them," as questioning whether God had any regard to 
what passed here below. But, to avoid confusion of per- 
sons, I would rather suppose the foregoing verse (to whom- 
soever it may belong) to be parenthetic, and the verse now 
under consideration to be an epicurean, atheistical speech 
in the mouth of the wicked, above described at large ; 
after which the Psalmist goes on, in his own person, as 
from the beginning, to relate the temptation which he 
underwent, and the issue of it. 

12. Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the 
world, they increase in riches. 

The temptation is now stated in its full force. " These " 
worthless, ungodly, blasphemous wretches, whose characters 
I have been delineating, " these " are the men who prosper 
in the world, who succeed in every thing they undertake, 
and roll in riches ! What are we to think of God, his 
providence, and his promises ? 

13. Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed 
my hands in innocency : 14. For all the day long have I 
been plagued, and chastened every morning. 

Nature will be apt, upon this occasion, to suggest, that 
all my faith, my charity, and my devotion, all my watching, 
and fastings, in short, all the labour and pains I have taken 
in the way of goodness, have been altogether vain and 
fruitless; since, while the rebellious enemies. of God enjoy 
the world and themselves at pleasure, I, who continue his 
servant, am in perpetual tribulation and affliction. 

15. If I say I will speak, or, declare, or, preach thus; 
behold I should offend against the generation of thy children. 

The Psalmist, having thus particularized the disease, 
proceeds now, like a skilful physician of the soul, to 
prescribe a medicine for it, which is compounded of many 
salutary ingredients. And first, to the suggestions of nature, 
grace opposes the examples of the children of God, who 
never fell from their hope in another world, because of their 
sufferings in this. For a man, therefore, to distrust the 
divine goodness on that account, is to belie their hope, 
renounce their faith, and strike his name out of their list. 

16. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. 
A second reason why a man should not be too forward to 

arraign God's dispensations of injustice, is the extreme diffi- 
culty of understanding and comprehending the whole of 

o 



290 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXX1IT. 



them, which, indeed, is not to be done by the human mind, 
unless God himself shall vouchsafe it the necessary informa- 
tion. " It was too painful for me," says the Psalmist. 

17. Until I went into the sanctuary of God ; then under- 
stood I their end. 

The third argument, with which we may repress the 
spirit of murmuring and distrust, so apt to be excited by 
the prosperity of the wicked, is one communicated to us by 
the word of God, which alone can acquaint us with what 
is to be the " end," the final portion of sinners, at the last 
day. This is an arrow from the heavenly quiver, which 
brings down our enemy at once, and lays Dagon prostrate 
before the ark. 

18. Surely thou didst, or, dost set them in slippery places : 
thou castedst them down into destruction. 

Worldly prosperity is as the narrow and slippery summit 
of a mountain, on which, to answer the designs of his provi- 
dence, God permits the wicked, during his pleasure, to take 
their station ; till at length the fatal hour arrives, when, by 
a stroke unseen, they fall from thence, and are lost in the 
fathomless ocean of sorrow, torment, and despair. 

19. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment ! 
They are utterly consumed with tensors. 

The sudden alteration, which death makes in the state of 
a powerful and opulent sinner, cannot but affect all around 
him, though they behold but one part of it. How much 
more would they be astonished and terrified, if the curtain 
between the two worlds were undrawn, and the other half of 
the change disclosed to view ! Let faith do that, which sight 
cannot do ; and then the ungodly, however wealthy and 
honourable, will surely cease to be the objects of our envy. 

20. As a dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when thou 
awakest, or, causest them to awake, thou shalt despise their 
image. 

The life of the ungodly is a sleep ; their happiness a 
dream, illusive and transitory; at best a shadow; afterward, 
nothing. At the day of death, the soul is roused out of 
this sleep, and the dream vanishes. When God shall thus 
awaken them, he will " despise their image," he will bring 
to nought, and render utterly contemptible, even in their 
own sight, as well as that of himself, of his holy angels, and 
the spirits of the righteous, those imaginary and fantastic 



DAY XIV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



291 



pleasures, for which they have lost the substantial joys and 
glories of his heavenly kingdom. Now, therefore, while it 
will not be in vain, " Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise 
from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." — Eph. v. 
14. See Job xx. 4, &c. Isa. xxix. 8. 

21. Thus my heart was grieved, Heb. in a ferment, and 
I was pricked in my reins. 22. So foolish was I, and igno- 
rant : I was a beast before thee. 

The Psalmist, fully satisfied with the conduct of provi- 
dence, reflects upon the folly of his former uneasiness, and 
humbly owns, that his doubts were occasioned solely by his 
ignorance of God's ways ; while he formed his judgment 
of them, without having duly taken into consideration the 
final issue of things. The last day, when it comes, will 
bring with it a solution of all difficulties. He who bears 
impressed upon his mind such an idea of that day, as the 
scriptures can give him, may solve them now. 

23. Nevertheless, I am continually with thee ; thou hast 
holden me by my right hand. 

The remainder of the Psalm contains the most dutiful 
and affectionate expressions of a mind perfectly at ease, and 
reposing itself, with comfortable assurance, on the loving- 
kindness of the Lord, of which it had experienced a fresh 
instance, in its support under the late temptation, and com- 
plete victory over it. " I am continually with thee," as a 
child under the tender care of a parent ; and as a parent, 
during my danger of falling, in a slippery path, " thou hast 
holden me," thy child, "by my right hand." 

24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward 
receive me to glory. 

He who, but a little while ago, seemed to question the 
providence of God over the affairs of men, now exults in 
happy confidence of the divine mercy and favour toward 
himself, nothing doubting but that grace would ever con- 
tinue to guide him upon earth, till glory should crown him 
in heaven. Such are the blessed effects of " going into the 
sanctuary," and consulting the " lively oracles," in all our 
doubts, difficulties, and temptations. 

25. Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And there is 
none upon earth that / desire besides, Heb. with, or, in com- 
parison of thee. 

The believing soul seems here to speak in the person, and 

u 2 



292 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXIIf. 



with the affection of a spouse, declaring, that not only earth, 
but heaven itself, would be unsatisfactory and comfortless, 
without the presence of her beloved Redeemer, the God of 
her salvation. But there is a pathos in the words them- 
selves, which, through the Christian feels, the commentator 
cannot express. 

26. My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the 
strength of my heart and my portion for ever. 

None of those things, in the abundance of which the 
wicked place their happiness, can deliver us in the day of 
death. " Flesh " must revert to dust, and the " heart " must 
cease its beating. He alone, therefore, is the proper object 
of our faith and love, who can support and carry us through 
the dreadful hour, and then raise us again, to be our " por- 
tion for ever." Lord Jesu, who hast so graciously promised 
to become our portion in the next world, prevent us from 
choosing any other in this. 

27. For lo, they that are far from thee shall perish : thou 
hast destroyed, or, wilt destroy all them that go a whoring 
from thee. 

They who are " far from God," are just so far from salva- 
tion; and, of course, if they remain in that situation, must 
" perish." Nor have they reason to expect any other fate, 
who, in their hearts, depart from the holy Jesus, after he 
has betrothed them to himself in righteousness ; and prefer 
to him the vilest and basest of his enemies, the world and the 
flesh, by whose wicked hands he was crucified and slain. 

28. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put 
my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. 

As if the Psalmist had said, in other words — Hear, there- 
fore, the conclusion of the whole matter. Let others, dazzled 
by the blaze of worldly prosperity, forsake God, to obtain a 
share of it; or murmur against him because they cannot 
obtain it. I am persuaded it now is, and finally will be, 
"good," delightful, profitable, and honourable, " for me to 
draw near," and join myself " to him;" which, in this life, 
I can do no otherwise, than by believing and hoping in his 
holy name; "I will put my trust in the Lord God," and 
excite others to do the same, by " declaring his works" and 
dispensations; that all may perceive what an amazing dif- 
ference will one day be made, between him who lusteth 
after the creature, and him who loveth the Creator. 



DAY XIV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



293 



PSALM LXXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

Upon whatever occasion this Psalm might have been originally composed, 
it is plainly intended for the use of the church, in time of persecution. 
1 . She bemoans herself as deserted by God ; the return of whose favour 
she entreats, 2. on account of his having redeemed her; 3 — 9. of the 
ravages made, and, 10. the reproaches thrown out, by the enemy; 
11 — 15. she reminds him of the wonders formerly wrought in her behalf, 
and, 16, 17. of his power and goodness, manifested in the common 
course of nature; 19. of the relation in which she stands to him ; 20. 
of his covenant ; 21, 22. of the honour of his name ; and, 23. the in- 
creasing fury of her adversaries, just ready to swallow her up. 

1. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? Why doth 
thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture ? 

God not only permits, but, by his prophet, who indited 
this form of words, directs the church, under persecution, 
to expostulate with him, for having, to all appearance, 
finally deserted her. And that, in such deplorable circum- 
stances, she may move his compassion, and, as it were, 
revive his love toward her, she is taught to remind him of 
that endearing relation, which once subsisted between him 
and his people, the relation of a "shepherd" to his "sheep." 
The soul, when led into captivity, and detained in it, by a 
prevailing lust or passion, may make her prayer likewise 
in these words, adapted to her case. 

2. Remember thy congregation which thou hast purchased 
of old; the rod, or, tribe, or, portion of thine inheritance, 
which thou hast redeemed, this Mount Sion, wherein thou 
hast dwelt. 

The Israelitish church pleads for mercy, upon these con- 
siderations, that God had formerly vouchsafed to redeem 
her from the Egyptian bondage, and to fix his residence on 
Mount Sion, all of which would prove to have been done 
in vain, should he leave her, at last, in the hands of her 
enemies. The redemption by Jesus Christ, and his habi- 
tation in the church Christian, by his Spirit, are the corres- 
ponding arguments to be urged, on similar occasions, by 
her, and by the believing soul. 

3. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations ; even 
all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. 

God is represented as having withdrawn himself, and 



294 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXIV. 



departed afar off ; he is therefore entreated to return with- 
out delay, to view the long lasting desolations of the once 
highly favoured city, and the ravages made by aliens in 
the sanctuary ; which could not but excite in him com- 
passion for his people, and indignation against their ene- 
mies. The outward calamities of a persecuted church 
should cause us to reflect on the sad havoc and devastation 
made by sin and Satan in the soul, which before was the 
city and temple of the living God. 

4. Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations, 
or, places of worship ; they set up their ensigns for signs. 

No sound can be more shocking than the confused 
clamours of an heathen army sacking the temple ; no sight 
so afflicting, as that of " the abomination of desolation 
standing in the holy place." Turbulent passions are the 
enemies, which raise an uproar of confusion in the heart ; 
wealth, power, and pleasure, are the idols which profane 
that sanctuary. 

5. A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes 
upon the thick trees. 6. But now they break down the 
carved work thereof with axes and hammers. 

The difficulty of these verses lies altogether in the first 
word, }TTV, without which, their literal construction is as 
follows : — " As he who lifted up axes in the thick wood, so 
now they," the enemies above mentioned, " break down the 
carved work thereof," of the sanctuary, " with hatchets and 
hammers." Some interpreters render 5TTT impersonally; 
not " He was famous," but " It is well known," it is mani- 
fest, O God, to all the world, " that as he who lifteth up 
axes, so now, &c. Or, may not the sense be — " as JTTV, a 
knowing skilful person, one who understands his business, 
lifted up the axe in the thick wood, so now men set them- 
selves to work to demolish the ornaments and timbers of 
the sanctuary." The words suggest another reason why 
God should arise and have mercy upon Sion, lest his name 
should be blasphemed among the nations, when they saw 
and heard of the sacrilegious and horrible destruction 
wrought by the enemy ; whom neither the majesty of the 
temple, nor the reverence of its divine inhabitant, could 
restrain from defacing the beauty of holiness. The orna- 
ments of the internal and spiritual temple sometimes surfer 
as much from the fury of inordinate affections, as the carved 



DAY XIV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



295 



work of the sanctuary ever did from the armies of Nebu- 
chadnezzar, or Antiochus. 

7. They have cast fire into the sanctuary, they have 
defiled, or, desecrated, by casting down the dwelling-place of 
thy name to the ground. 

The gates of the second temple were set on fire by 
Antiochus, see 1 Mac. iv. 38. but the whole fabric of the 
first was burnt by Nebuchadnezzar. When animosities break 
forth, and contentions are raised in the church, " fire is cast 
into the sanctuary:" when the soul sinks under a tempta- 
tion, the " dwelling-place of God's name is desecrated to 
the ground." 

8. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: 
they have burnt Hp all the synagogues of God in the land. 

Such is the rage of infidels, when it pleases God, for the 
sins of his people, to let them loose upon the church, as 
beasts of prey. From scenes like these we learn the temper 
and disposition of that raging adversary of mankind, and 
his associates; who, if permitted, would root Christianity 
out of every heart. — "Watch, therefore, and pray," saith the 
Captain of our salvation to all his soldiers. 

9. We see not our signs, there is no more any prophet, 
neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. 

Darkness is horrible in itself, and adds horror to every 
thing else. The church, therefore, complains, that in the 
midst of all her other troubles, she was deserted by the light 
of heaven. No " signs," or miracles, were exhibited for her 
comfort; there was no " prophet" to inform her concerning 
the will of God, or to promise her an " end" of her afflic- 
tions, as Daniel did, when she was a captive in Babylon. 
Sin darkens the understanding, taking from it that light, 
the direction of which it then stands most in need of. 

10. O God, how long shall the adversary reproach ? 
shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever 1 11. Why 
withdrawest thou thine hand, even thy right hand? Pluck 
it out of thy bosom. 

To an enumeration of calamities succeeds a prayer for 
deliverance, grounded on the necessity of God's vindicating 
the honour of his name from the insolent and blasphemous 
reproaches and scoffs of the enemy. — See Ezek. xx. 19. 
He is therefore entreated to make bare his arm in the sight 
of the nations, and to let his right hand become glorious in 



296 A COMMENTARY [PS. LXXIV. 

the vindication of his name, and the defence of his in- 
heritance. 

12. For God is my King of old, working salvation in the 
midst of the earth. 

And that he will do so, there is always reason for the 
afflicted church to hope; because, as her "king," he con- 
ducted and protected her of old, and wrought " salvation" 
for her upon the earth; temporal salvation by the hand of 
Moses ; eternal salvation by the power of Christ. 

13. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength; thou hrak- 
est the heads of the dragons in the waters. 

The first part of this verse alludes to that marvellous act 
of omnipotence, which divided the Red Sea for Israel to 
pass over; the second part to the return of its waves upon 
the heads of the Egyptians, who, like so many sea monsters, 
opening their mouths to devour the people of God, were 
overwhelmed, and perished in the mighty waters. The 
Christian church is taught to contemplate, under this figure, 
the salvation of her children, and the destruction of their 
spiritual enemies, by the waters of baptism. — See 1 Cor. x. 2. 
and the Office for Baptism in the Church of England. 
Parallel to this passage in our Psalm is that most sublime 
one, Isa. li. 9 — 11. — " Awake, awake, put on strength, 
O arm of the Lord ! awake, as in the ancient days, in the 
generations of old. Art thou not it, that hath cut Rahab, 
and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it, that hath dried 
the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the 
depths of the sea a way, for the ransomed to pass over? 
Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come 
with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon 
their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow 
and mourning shall flee away." 

14. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and 
gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. 

" Leviathan" stands for Pharaoh, or the Egyptian power, 
represented by the Egyptian animal, the " crocodile" of 
Nile, the Egyptian river. The " heads" of leviathan are 
the princes of Egypt, the leaders of the Egyptian armies. 
And " the people, or inhabitants of the wilderness," to whom 
they were given for a prey, are not men, but a species of 
wild beasts, hunting the deserts, for which the word XD^V is 
used, Tsa. xiii. 21. and xxxiv. 14. The sense therefore is, 



DAY XIV. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



297 



that the bodies of Pharaoh and his captains were thrown on 
shore by the sea, and so become food for the wild beasts of 
the neighbouring deserts. The final destruction of the 
adversaries of Messiah's kingdom is described at large 
under a like image. — Rev. xix. 17, &c. 

15. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood — that is, 
draw forth the fountain and the flood by cleaving the rock — 
thou driedst up mighty rivers. 

Two other remarkable exertions of the divine power, in 
favour of the Israelities, are here referred to. Water was 
brought out of the rock, to satisfy their thirst, in the time 
of drought ; and the river Jordan was dried up, to open the 
passage for them into Canaan. In the former of these 
transactions, faith beholds the water of life springing from 
the rock of salvation ; in the latter are discerned the mystic 
death and resurrection of Christians, as a prelude to the 
corporeal ; when, rising from the depths of the grave, they 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

16. The day is thine, the night also is thine, thou hast 
prepared the light and the sun. 17. Thou hast set all the 
borders of the earth : thou hast made summer and winter. 

From the miraculous interpositions of God in behalf of 
his people, the church passes to those ordinary and standing 
evidences of his goodness towards us, the sweet vicissitudes 
of light and darkness, and the grateful succession of times 
and seasons ; by which man is taught, in the most sorrowful 
night, to look for a joyful morning; and, during the severest 
winter, to expect a reviving spring. Thus is the revolving- 
year our constant instructor and monitor; incessantly in- 
culcating the duties of faith and hope, as well as those of 
adoration, gratitude, and praise. 

18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O 
Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. 
19. O deliver not the soul of thy turtle dove unto the multi- 
tude of the wicked, forget not the congregation of thy poor 
for ever. 

After endeavouring to support her own faith, and excite 
the zeal of God for his inheritance, by a rehearsal of former 
mercies, the church again urges the argument of "reproach," 
touched on before at ver. 10. and then reminds her Saviour 
of that endearing appellation of his " turtle dove," by which 
he had not disdained to address her in times past. This 



298 



A COMMENTARY 



|_PS. LXXIV. 



turtle dove, simple, defenceless, solitary, meek, timid, and 
mournful, was in danger of being speedily devoured by 
her inveterate and implacable enemies; who, like birds of 
prey, beset her on all sides, thirsting impatiently for her 
blood. What an irresistible force do these circumstances 
give to the words — " O deliver not the soul of thy turtle 
dove unto the multitude of the wicked ; and forget not 
the congregation of thy poor for ever!" Let us not fail, in 
the hour of temptation, to use them, and try the success 
of them. 

20. Have respect unto the covenant : for the dark places 
of the earthy or, the land, are full of the habitations of 
cruelty. 

The main anchor of the holy ark, in storms and tempests, 
is faith in the covenant of grace, made from the beginning 
in Messiah; communicated to Noah, Abraham, David, &c. 
as his illustrious representatives, and in them to the house 
of Israel; accomplished (as Zacharias beareth witness by 
his song, Luke i. 72, &c.) at the birth of Christ, and then 
extended to the Gentiles. To this covenant, and the pro- 
mises made therein, the church here appeals, at a time when 
the enemy ravaged the promised land at pleasure, and every 
thing seemed to forbode the utter extirpation of the law 
and people of God. Hither, therefore, the soul is to fly for 
refuge, when nothing else seems capable of affording any. 

21. O let not the oppressed return ashamed ; let the poor 
and needy praise thy name. 

It is for the honour of God, that they who have recourse 
to him for help, should not, by " returning" without it, suffer 
"shame" and confusion, in the presence of their insulting 
adversaries. And another motive to engage his assistance 
is, that, for every lost soul, there will be a voice the less in 
that choir, which is to " praise his name" to all eternity. 

22. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause : remember how 
the foolish man blaspheyneth thee daily. 23. Forget not the 
voice of thine enemies : the tumult of those that rise up 
against thee increaseth continually. 

The church, growing more importunate in her petitions, 
as the danger increases, beseeches God to appear in her 
cause, as being in effect his own, on account of his promises, 
his attributes of righteousness and truth, and the reproaches 
cast on Him, through his people. While speaking, she seems 



DAY XV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 299 

to hear the tumultuous clamours of the approaching enemy 
growing every minute louder, as they advance; and we 
leave the " turtle dove," without the divine assistance, 
ready to sink under the talons of the rapacious eagle. 



FIFTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The prophet, 1. gives thanks, with the church, to God, for the manifesta- 
tion of his name, and the wonders of salvation wrought thereby. 2. He 
declares his resolution of executing judgment and justice in his king- 
dom, which ; 3. had been in disorder and confusion ; 4 — 6. he rebukes 
the wicked ; 6 — 8. reminds them of the power, providence, counsels, 
and judgments of God : 9, 10. he concludes with repeating his resolu- 
tion to praise God ; to break the power of wickedness ; and to establish 
righteousness. 

1. Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do 
we give thanks : for that thy name is near, thy wondrous 
works declare. 

The church offers up her repeated praises to God for de- 
liverance ; she acknowledges the presence of his name in the 
midst of her, which had been evidenced by the " wonderful 
works " wrought for her salvation. Upon whatever occasion 
these words were originally indited, the Christian church 
now celebrates in them that great deliverance, which, by so 
many miracles of mercy and power, hath been accomplished 
for her, through Messiah, who is in scripture frequently 
styled, " the Name of Jehovah." — See Isa. xxx. 27. 

2. When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge 
uprightly. 

The first verse was spoken by many persons : " unto thee 
O God do we give thanks ; " here the speaker is one, and 
that one is plainly a ruler, who promises, that when he shall 
have "received the congregation," or, as some render it, 
" when he shall have gotten an appointed, or fit time, or 
season," that is, when he shall be established in power and 
authority, at a fit time and place, he will "judge uprightly,' 1 
and introduce a thorough reformation into a kingdom, which, 



300 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXV. 



as we shall find by the following verse, stood greatly in need 
of it. From these circumstances it should seem most pro- 
bable, that David is speaking of his advancement to the 
throne of Israel, and the intended rectitude of his adminis- 
tration, when he should be settled thereon. What David 
did in Israel, was done in the church universal, by him who 
sat upon the throne of David, when he " received," for his 
inheritance, the great " congregation " of the Gentiles, and 
the earth was full of the " righteousness " of Jehovah. 

3. The earth, or, the land, and all the inhabitants thereof 
are, or, were dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. 

Civil distractions, and the continual irruptions of foreign 
enemies, had thrown the Israelitish affairs into confusion, 
and " dissolved" the frame of government; until, by the re- 
establishment of royal authority, countenance and support 
were again given to all the subordinate magistrates ; who 
are, in their respective stations, the " pillars" of a commu- 
nity. Such was the universal corruption and dissolution of 
manners both among Jews and Gentiles, when Messias, 
entering upon his regal office, reformed the world, raised 
the glorious fabric of the church, and made his apostles and 
their successors the " pillars " of his spiritual kingdom. 
Let men support religion, and God will support them. 

4. / said unto the fools, deal not foolishly ; and to the 
wicked, lift not up the horn : 5. Lift not up your horn on 
high ; speak not with a stiff neck. 

"Where the word of a king is, there is power." The 
prophet addresses himself to the opposers of his govern- 
ment, and the disturbers of Israel : he urges the " folly" of 
exalting themselves against their prince ; and exhorts them, 
for their own sakes, to humility and obedience. Is not this 
the very message which the ministers of Christ have re- 
ceived from their King, and are commanded to deliver to 
the world ? 

6. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from 
the west, nor from the south : 7. But God is the judge ; 
he putteth down one, and setteth up another. 

The opposition, mentioned in the preceding verse, was 
called " folly." In these verses it is proved to be such ; as 
being an opposition, in effect, to the counsels of heaven; for, 
not by worldly power or craft, but by the designation and 
providence of God himself, the supreme Judge of princes, 



DAY XV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



301 



and disposer of kingdoms, was the house of Saul "put down," 
and the house of David " set up." And are not, then, the 
enemies of the Son of God in arms against the Father ; who, 
according to the promises going before concerning him, hath 
highly exalted him; hath committed all power and judgment 
to him ; and hath put all things under his feet ? Yea, and 
the hour is coming, when he shall put down all rule, and 
all authority, and power, and the Lord Jesus alone shall 
be exalted in that day. What will then be the portion of 
his impenitent adversaries, the next verse will inform us. 

8. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the 
wine is red: it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the 
same ; but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall 
wring them out, and drink them. 

As the choicest of heavenly blessings are frequently in 
scripture represented by the salutary effects of wine, a cup 
of which the Master of the family is supposed to hold in his 
hand, ready to distribute due portions of it to those around 
him ; so from the noxious and intoxicating qualities of that 
liquor, when drank strong, and in too large a quantity, is 
borrowed a most tremendous image of the wrath and indig- 
nation of Almighty God. Calamity and sorrow, fear and 
trembling, infatuation and despair, the evils of the present 
life and of that which is to come, are the bitter ingredients 
which compose this most horrible cup of mixture. It is en- 
tirely in the hand and disposal of God, who, through every 
age, has been pouring out, and administering of its contents, 
more or less, in proportion to the sins of men. But much of 
the strength and power of the liquor still remains behind, 
until the day of final vengeance. It will be then exhausted, 
even to the dregs, by unrepenting rebels ; when " burning 
coals, fire, and brimstone," and eternal " tempest," shall be 
" the portion of their cup."— Ps. xi. 6. 

9. But I will declare for ever ; I will sing praise to the 
God of Jacob. 

These dispensations of mercy and judgment the prophet 
resolves to " declare " to the world for ever, by thus " sing- 
ing " the works and the " praises" of God, in psalms, and 
hymns, and spiritual songs. And while we now sing them, 
we declare our resolution to be the same with his. 

10. All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off: but 
the horns of the righteous shall be exalted. 



302 



A COMMENTARY 



|_PS. LXXVI. 



He determines, likewise, as every good governor should 
do, to exert the authority with which he is intrusted ; to 
break the power of triumphant wickedness ; and to exalt 
that righteousness which exalteth a nation ; hereby ren- 
dering himself a fit image of Him, who hath since done 
away transgression, and brought in everlasting righteous- 
ness, who will one day turn the wicked into hell, and exalt 
his faithful servants, to reign with him in heaven. Already 
he reigns in them upon earth: "causing all carnal affections 
to die in them, and all things belonging to the Spirit to 
live and grow in them." 



PSALM LXXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

It is obvious, at first sight, to any one who reads this Psalm, that it was 
composed, as a thanksgiving hymn, on account of some great deliver- 
ance, wrought for his people, by the immediate hand of God. The 
miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army, by the angel, in the days 
of king Hezekiah, is generally pitched upon as the subject of it, and 
affirmed to be so by the ancient Greek inscription prefixed to it in the 
lxx version. The prophet, 1, 2. declares the glory which God hath 
gotten him in Israel ; 3 — 6. describes the circumstances of the deliver- 
ance, with, 7. a reflection thereupon; 8 — 10. he mentions the effects 
it had produced among the nations, and, 11, 12. those which it ought 
to produce in Israelitish hearts. The ideas are to be transferred to the 
salvation of the church universal, by the destruction of sin and Satan, 
and the overthrow of the persecuting powers. 

1. In Judah is God known, his name is great in Israel. 
2. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling in Sion. 

On occasion of some great deliverance, the prophet speaks 
in transport concerning that presence and protection of God, 
which the highly favoured Judah once enjoyed. She enjoyed 
them while she continued faithful, and really was what she 
professed to be. But on account of her infidelity, and rejec- 
tion of her Messiah, an alteration of circumstances has taken 
place. They are no longer Jews, who are such outwardly; 
nor is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh : but 
they are Jews, who believe in the Son of God ; and they are 
of the circumcision who are cleansed by him from all filthi- 
ness of flesh and spirit. The Gentile Christian church hath 
succeeded to the privileges of the Israelitish. In her now 
" God is known" by the gospel ; and " his name is great " 



DAY XV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



303 



in her, by reason of all the mighty wonders which he hath 
wrought for her ; she is the true " Salem," or city of peace ; 
she is the true " Sion," the spiritual, holy, and beloved 
hill ; and in her is the " tabernacle " and " dwelling place " 
of God her Saviour, by the Spirit. 

3. There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, the 
sword, and the battle. 

When God appeared in the defence of his ancient people, 
the weapons of their enemies were at once blunted and 
broken, and all the formidable apparatus of war became, in 
a moment, utterly useless. Such was the event, when the 
holy Jesus entered the lists against our spiritual adversaries, 
" for" us; and such ever will be the event, when he en- 
gages them " in" us. 

4. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the moun- 
tains of prey. 

This may be a beautiful apostrophe to Mount Sion, (men- 
tioned, ver. 2.) as appearing infinitely more glorious and 
excellent, through the favour and protection of her God, 
than the arm of flesh and the instruments of war could 
render the kingdoms of the earth, which set themselves 
against her ; and which, for their tyranny and cruelty, and 
the ravages committed by them, are likened to those moun- 
tains, where beasts of prey, with similar dispositions, rove, 
and roar, and devour. The powers of the world " make 
war with the Lamb, whose station is upon Mount Sion ;" 
but " the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of 
lords, and King of kings ; and they that are with him are 
called, and chosen, and faithful." — Rev. xiv. 1. xvii. 14. 

5. The stout-hearted are spoiled, they have slept their 
sleep : and none of the men of might have found their hands. 
6. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot, or, 
rider, and horse, are cast into a dead sleep. 

It must be acknowledged, that these two verses seem in a 
very particular manner to point at the miraculous destruction 
of Sennacherib's army, when the " stout-hearted," who 
doubted not of taking and spoiling the holy city, were 
themselves suddenly " spoiled" of strength and life; they 
" slept their sleep, and found not their hands;" they awaked 
not again to the use of their powers and faculties; a re- 
buking blast was sent from the God of Jacob, under which 
the flower of Assyria withered in the space of a night, and 



304 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVI. 



in the morning was no more; "the horse and his rider 
were cast into a dead sleep;" they slept the sleep of 
death. How, in a moment, were the mighty fallen, and 
the weapons of war perished ! How astonishing the down- 
fall of the tyrant! How complete the triumph of the 
daughter of Sion ! Such will be the destruction of the 
world; such the salvation of the people of God. 

7. Thou, even thou art to be feared, and who may stand 
in thy sight, when once thou art angry ? 

Why are the miraculous exertions of Omnipotence recorded 
in the book of life, but to suggest to us this reflection, that 
God, and God only, is the proper object of our fear : since 
neither the wisdom of the wise, nor the power of the mighty, 
no, not the world itself, can stand a single moment before 
him, " when once he is angry?" Yet we continue to dread 
any frowns but those of heaven; and one poor, vain, sinful 
man shall, through a course of sixty, or seventy years, in- 
cessantly and undauntedly tempt and provoke Him, who de- 
stroyed 185,000 in a night. What is this but madness? 

8. Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven ; 
the earth feared and was still ; 9. When God arose to 
judgment, to save all the meek of the earth, or, the afflicted 
of the land. 

A destruction so far exceeding human power, was evi- 
dently the sentence of God's judgment, audibly pronounced 
from the eternal throne ; and it was heard by all the earth 
with an awful silence, as when he speaks to attentive nature 
in thunder. Such was the effect which the interposition in 
behalf of his people produced among the surviving Assyrians, 
and the neighbouring nations. Let us carry our thoughts 
on to the sensations which will be felt in the hearts of men, 
at that hour, when the last trump shall sound in the heavens, 
and the earth shall shake from her foundations ; when God 
shall arise to execute judgment on the adversaries of his 
church ; and to save, with an everlasting salvation, all the 
meek and afflicted of the earth. 

10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the 
remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. 

The wrath of man, and of Satan himself, against the church, 
turns, in the end, to the praise and glory of God, who re- 
presses it, when at its height ; and at all times appoints those 
bounds which it cannot pass, any more than the raging 



DAY XV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



305 



waves of the ocean can overflow their appointed barrier of 
sand. 

11. Vow and pay unto the Lord your God ; let all that 
are round about him bring presents unto him that ought to 
be feared. 12. He shall cut off, or, restrain the spirit of 
princes ; he is terrible to the kings of the earth. 

If such should have been the gratitude and devotion of 
Israelites, for the temporary deliverance from the fury of an 
earthly tyrant ; how much higher ought that of Christians to 
rise, for eternal redemption from the great oppressor ! How 
ought they to " vow and pay their vows unto the Lord their 
God ; to bring presents," to offer all they have, and all they 
are, to him who is so greatly to be "feared," so highly to be 
loved; to him who "restrains" the fury of evil angels, as 
well as "the spirit of princes;" and is "terrible" to the 
powers of darkness, no less than to "the kings of the 
earth!" 



PSALM LXXVIL 

ARGUMENT. 

As the foregoing Psalm was evidently composed, when the church had ob- 
tained deliverance from her enemies, this seems no less plainly to have 
been written at a time when she was in captivity under them. It con- 
tains, 1—4. a complaint of .sufferings ; and, 5 — 20. a description at 
large of the struggle between distrust and faith ; which latter prevails, by 
having recourse to the consideration of ancient mercies ; particularly 
that of redemption from Egypt. The Psalm is admirably calculated for 
the use and consolation of any church, or soul, when in affliction and 
distress. 

1. I cried unto God with my voice ; even unto God with 
my voice, and he gave ear unto me. 

Uneasiness in the heart will utter itself by the "voice; " 
and when the pain is intense, the "cry " will be loud. Only 
let it take a right direction, and ascend to heaven ; let the 
application be made to " God," who will both " hear," and 
help ; not to the world, which will not do one, and cannot 
do the other. The cries of the Son of God alone were 
heard for his own sake ; the cries of all other men are 
heard for his sake. 

2. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord ; my sore 

x 



306 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVil. 



ran in the night, and ceased not ; Heb. my hand was 
stretched out in the night, and ceased not, or, without inter- 
mission : my soul refused to be comforted. 

To a soul deeply sensible of the world's vanity, and the 
misery of sin, every day is a " day of trouble," and the whole 
time of her pilgrimage is a long, dark, and wearisome " night, ' ' 
during which she seeks often her beloved by prayer; and for 
the sake of him, and those future joys which she expects in 
his presence, the pleasures of sense are put away from her, 
and she " refuses to be comforted " by such comforters. An 
Israelite cannot enjoy himself in Babylon ; a Christian 
cannot find perfect satisfaction in the world ; a return to 
Jerusalem will employ the thoughts of both. 

3. I remembered God, and was troubled : I complained, and 
my spirit was overwhelmed. Or, / remembered God, and 
made a noise, i. e. in prayer to him ; i" meditated, and my spirit 
was obscured, or darkened, through grief and affliction. 

This is a fine description of what passes in an afflicted and 
dejected mind. Between the remembrance of God and his 
former mercies, and the meditation on a seeming desertion 
under present calamities, the affections are variously agitated, 
and the prayers disturbed, like the tumultuous waves of a 
troubled sea; while the fair light from above is intercepted, 
and the face of heaven overwhelmed with clouds and darkness. 

4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking : I am so troubled that 
I cannot speak. 

Through grief and anxiety it is, that the eyes are made 
to keep all the watches of the night, and wait in vain for 
sleep to relieve them from duty, until the dawning of the 
morning. To a night so spent, may a season of captivity, 
or persecution, be compared. Thus the ancient church 
looked for the first advent of Christ ; and thus doth the 
church, which now is, expect his second ; prolonging her 
vigils, even unto the dawning of that morning, which is at 
once to put a period to darkness and to sorrow. In the 
mean time, she giveth herself to meditation and prayer. 

5. / have considered the days of old, the years of ancient 
times : 6. I call to remembrance my song in the night, I com- 
mune with mine own heart, and my spirit maketh diligent 
search. 

Recollection of former mercies is the proper antidote 
against a temptation to despair, in the day of calamity : and 



DAY XV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



307 



as, in the divine dispensations, which are always uniform 
and like themselves, whatever has happened, happens again, 
when the circumstances are similar, the experience of " an- 
cient times " is to be called in to our aid, and duly consulted. 
Nay, we may perhaps " remember" the time, when we our- 
selves were led to compose and utter a " song" of joy and 
triumph, on occasion of signal mercies vouchsafed us. Upon 
these topics we should, " in the night of affliction, commune 
with our own hearts, and make diligent search," as Daniel 
did in Babylon, into the cause, the nature, and the probable 
continuance of our troubles ; with the proper methods of 
shortening, and bringing them to an end ; by suffering 
them to have their intended and full effect, in a sincere 
repentance, and thorough reformation. 

7. Will the Lord cast off for ever ? and will he be favour- 
able no more ? 8. Is his mercy clean gone for ever ? Doth 
his promise fail for evermore ? 9. Hath God forgotte?i to be 
gracious ? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ? 

The Psalmist now relates the process of his meditations, 
and of that controversy which arose in his heart between 
faith and distrust. While he viewed the distressful scene 
around him, he found himself strongly tempted to question 
God's love of the church ; to think that he had finally 
rejected his people ; that the promised mercy of redemption 
would never be accomplished ; and that indignation had 
constrained the bowels of our heavenly Father, which no 
longer yearned toward his afflicted children. These were 
the thoughts suggested to a desponding soul by the desola- 
tions of Sion at that time ; and the state of things in the 
world may possibly be such, as to suggest the like thoughts 
to many in the Christian church, before our Lord shall ap- 
pear again for her final redemption. Imaginations of the same 
cast will offer themselves to the mind of the sinner, when 
the hand of God has lain long and heavy upon him, by the 
infliction of outward calamities, or the terrors of conscience. 

10. And I said, this is my infirmity ; but I will remember 
the years, or, changes of the right hand of the Most High. 

To the insinuations of distrust, faith now begins to reply. 
The sufferer checks himself in his former train of thought, 
and humbly acknowledges it to have sprung from a mind 
dispirited and rendered timid by misfortunes ; "I said, this 
is my infirmity; " but he immediately strengthens himself by 

x 2 



308 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVIT. 



reflecting, that all "changes" in the conditions of men are 
effected, for reasons of infinite wisdom and goodness, by 
M the right hand of the Most High; " which is not shortened, 
but can still, as formerly, when he sees fit, deliver and exalt, 
as well as punish and depress, his people. What, therefore, 
though the daughter of Zion be in captivity, and her enemies 
exult over her ? Messias cometh, who shall redeem her, and 
all nations ; and then shall "the right hand of the Most High" 
work an universal and a glorious "change" upon the earth. 

11. / will remember the works of the Lord ; surely I will 
remember thy wonders of old. 12. / will meditate also of all 
thy works, and talk of thy doings. 

Thus restored to a right frame of mind, the Psalmist, in- 
stead of brooding any longer over the calamities of his own 
time, resolves to turn his thoughts toward the divine dis- 
pensations of old; to meditate on God's former works and 
wonders ; his works of justice and mercy, of power and 
wisdom, of nature and grace ; and by gratefully celebrating 
them, to invigorate his faith in the salvation to come, of 
which they were so many earnests and pledges. And it is 
this consideration which makes the eucharistic Psalms ever 
pleasing and ever comfortable to the mind ; they are appeals 
to those attributes, which have been so often displayed in 
the cause of the church ; they are acts of faith, looking 
backward to the past and forward to the future : they are 
praises, and they are prayers. 

13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary, or, in holiness ; 
who is so great a God as our God ? 

Faith, now reinstated in its sovereignty over the prejudices 
and fears of the soul, and again placed upon the judgment- 
seat, pronounces the "ways" or proceedings of God to be 
such, as when weighed in the balance of the " sanctuary," 
and judged of by the divine rule and manner of acting, will 
be found agreeable to the standard of perfect "holiness." 
An assurance is likewise expressed, that the power of God, 
however it may, for a time, lie dormant, yet still retains 
the same superiority, of which former exertions show it to 
have been possessed, over the gods of the nations, the 
elements of nature, and the powers of the world : insomuch 
that nothing, which was ever called by others, or called 
itself " God," was able to stand before Jehovah, the God of 
Israel ; " Who is so great a God as our God? " Thus, "All 



DAY XV. M. P.j ON THE PSALMS. 



309 



power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," saith our 
blessed Lord, Matt, xxviii. 18. for the everlasting consola- 
tion of the Christian church. 

14. Thou art the God that doest wonders ; thou hast de- 
clared thy strength among the 'people. 14. Thou hast with 
thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. 

Israel, in times of trouble and distress, was wont to look 
back to the "wonders" wrought in Egypt, and the redemp- 
tion of all her tribes from that house of bondage. We 
Christians are taught, while we use the same words, to 
regard parallel, but more important transactions ; we reflect 
on the " wonders" wrought for the bodies and souls of men, 
by the "strength and the arm of Jehovah," revealedand mani- 
fested to the world in Christ ; and we celebrate the redemp- 
tion, not of "the sons of Jacob and Joseph" only, but of all 
nations, from the bondage of corruption ; a redemption com- 
pared with which, the deliverance from Egypt, though glo- 
rious in itself, hath yet no glory at all, by reason of the 
glory that so far excelleth. Our confidence in God, during 
the seasons of affliction, should therefore rise in proportion. 

16. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee ; 
they were afraid : the depths also were troubled. 

The waters of the Red Sea are here beautifully represented 
as endued with sensibility, as seeing, feeling, and being con- 
founded, even to the lowest depths, at the presence and 
power of their great Creator, when he commanded them to 
open a way, and to form a wall on each side of it, until his 
people were passed over ; until his people had passed over 
whom he had redeemed. In this amazing transaction let us 
behold, as in a glass, the salvation of believers by baptism, 
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who made 
the depths of the grave, as he had done those of the sea, a 
way for his ransomed to pass over ; and the church, like 
another Israel, saw her enemies, in effect, dead at her feet. 

17. The clouds poured out water, the skies sent out a 
sound ; thine arrows also went abroad. 18. The voice of thy 
thunder was in the heaven : the lightnings lightened the 
world, the earth trembled and shook. 

It is said, Exod. xiv. 24. that at the time when Israel was 
passing the sea, "the Lord looked upon the host of the 
Egyptians through the pillar of fire and the cloud, and 
troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot 



310 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVII. 



wheels, and made them to go heavily ; so that the Egyptians 
said, Let us flee from the face of Israel ; for the Lord fight- 
eth for them against the Egyptians." The verses of our 
Psalm now before us seem to explain more particularly the 
manner in which the Lord " looked upon, and troubled, and 
fought against the Egyptians," upon that occasion; namely, 
by thunders and lightnings, storms and tempests, rain, hail, 
and earthquake, the usual tokens and instruments of 
Almighty displeasure. Josephus, in like manner, relates, 
that the destruction of the Egyptians was accompanied by 
storms of rain from heaven ; by dreadful thunders and light- 
nings ; and, in short, by every possible circumstance of 
terror, which could testify and inflict upon man the ven- 
geance of an incensed God. From scenes like these, we 
learn to form an idea of that power, which discomfited the 
infernal host ; raised Christ from the dead ; vanquished 
opposition and persecution ; subdued the world to the 
obedience of faith ; supports and protects the church ; will 
overthrow antichrist; raise the dead; cast the wicked, 
with death and Satan into the lake of fire ; and exalt the 
righteous to sing with angels in heaven, "the song of Moses 
and of the Lamb." — See Rev. xv. 3. 

19. Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great 
waters, and thy footsteps are not known. 

The dispensations and ways of God, like the passage 
through the Red Sea, are all full of mercy to his people ; 
but they are also, like that, often unusual, marvellous, in- 
scrutable ; and we can no more trace his footsteps, than we 
could have done those of Israel, after the waters had re- 
turned to their place again. Let us resolve, therefore, to 
trust in him at all times ; and let us think we hear Moses 
saying to us, as he did to the Israelites, when seemingly 
reduced to the last extremity ; — " Fear ye not, stand still, 
and see the salvation of Jehovah." — Exod xiv. 13. 

20. Thou leddest thy people like a flock, by the hand of 
Moses and Aaron. 

The loving kindness of God toward Israel did not stop at 
the Red Sea, but he conducted his chosen flock, by the 
guidance of faithful pastors, through all the perils of the 
wilderness to the land of promise. We likewise, through 
thy mercy, O blessecLLord Jesu, have passed the Red Sea 
at our baptism ; and are now journeying in the wilderness. 



DAY XV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



311 



Give us those meek, and lowly, and tractable dispositions, 
which become the sheep of thy pasture ; set over us skilful 
and vigilant shepherds ; and be thou ever both with them 
and with us ; until, having surmounted all difficulties and 
dangers, led by thy grace, and supported by thy providence, 
we all come, in perfect safety, to the land of everlasting 
rest ; there to live with thee, one fold under one shepherd, 
world without end. 



FIFTEENTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXV11I. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth a declaration of God's dealings with his people, 
and of their behaviour to him, in Egypt, in the wilderness, and after 
their settlement in Canaan, to the days of David. It is written for the 
use and admonition of Christians ; who may here view, as in a glass, 
the mercies they have received, and the returns, which, alas, they have 
but too often made for them. 

1 . Give ear, O my people, to my law ; incline your ears 
to the words of my mouth. 

In this verse, the Psalmist opens his commission, and 
speaks, as one having authority from above to instruct the 
world. He demands a large and attentive audience, while, 
by a series of examples, he sets forth the goodness of God, 
and the ingratitude of man, for the admonition of succeeding 
ages, to the end of time. St. Paul, speaking of the very 
transactions related in our Psalm, saith of them, " Now all 
these things happened unto them for ensamples, Gr. two 
types ; and they are written for our admonition upon whom 
the ends of the world are come." — 1 Cor. x. 11. We 
Christians, therefore, must consider ourselves as the "people" 
who are to "give ear to the law," or "doctrine," inculcated 
by the following epitome of the Israelitish history ; we must 
"incline our ears to the words of" the prophet's "mouth." 

2. I will open my mouth in a parable ; I will utter dark 
sayings of old. 3. Which we have heard and known, and 
our fathers have told us. 



312 



A COMMENTARY [PS. LXXVIIJ. 



The Psalm, being in itself a plain narrative of facts, can 
contain nothing parabolical or enigmatical in it, unless those 
facts were, what St. Paul affirms them to have been, " en- 
samples," types, or representations of other facts, relative to 
the Christian church. As facts, they were " heard and 
known," and handed down from father to son; but with 
respect to the instructions and admonitions comprehended 
in them, and to be extracted by an application to parallel 
times and circumstances, they had the nature of a "parable," 
requiring wisdom and attention so to understand and apply 
them. It is observable, that our Lord is, by St. Matthew, 
said to have spoken to the multitude altogether in parables, 
"that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, 
saying, I will open my mouth in parables," &c. citing the 
second verse of the Psalm now before us. — Matt. xiii. 35. 
If it doth not follow, from this citation, that the prophet 
actually speaks the Psalm in the person of Christ, yet thus 
much at least is evident from it, that the history of old 
Israel somewhat resembles the letter of the gospel parables, 
and contains, shadowed out under it, the history of a cor- 
respondent state of things in the new Israel, or church 
Christian. # And although the Psalm, like a large and ca- 
pacious palace, be laid out into a multitude of different 
apartments, yet, perhaps, we may find that the scriptures 
of the New Testament will furnish us with a key which will 
gain us admission into everyone of them, and put us into pos- 
session of the treasures of divine wisdom therein deposited. 

4. We will not hide them from their children, showing to 
the generation to come, Heb. the latter generation, the praises 
of the Lord* and his strength, and his wonderful works that 
he hath done. 

The writer of this Psalm is desirous that " the praises of 
J ehovah, his strength, and the wonderful works that he hath 
done," an account of which had reached his own time, should 
be transmitted, through all the period of the Jewish economy, 
down to the fHrW the "latter generation," or generation 
to arise in the " latter days ;" the generation of the faithful 
to be begotten unto God, from among the Gentiles, through 
the gospel. Of this generation are we, who now, in these 
words of the holy Psalmist, do, from age to age, " show the 

* "In parabolis" — Aliud dicit; aliud innuit; ac prgeteritorum specie 
futura prsesagit. Id quoque ex persona Christi. — Matt. xii. 35. — Bossuet. 



DAY XV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



313 



praises of the Lord," our Saviour, "and his strength, and his 
wondrous works which he hath done " for us, as he promised 
and foreshowed in his dispensation of old time. The glo- 
rious theme was delivered by the Israelitish to the Christian 
church, and will be resumed in heaven, there for ever to 
employ the tongues of saints, and the harps of angels. 

5. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed 
a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers that they 
should make them known to their children : 6. That the ge- 
neration to come, or, latter generation might know them, 
even the children that should be born : who should arise and 
declare them to their children. 

The account of God's dealings with his people, to be ce- 
lebrated in our Psalm, begins with the "law," or "testimony, 
appointed and established in Israel," by the hand of Moses. 
Under these names are comprehended, not only the precepts 
and ceremonies, but the several transactions to which they 
referred, and in commemoration of which they were instituted, 
as also that future salvation, to which they, as well as the 
transactions had an aspect. Thus the passover, for instance, 
looked backward to the redemption by Moses, and forward 
to that by Messiah. The law thus considered, as involving 
the gospel within it, was, to understanding and pious Israel- 
ites, the fountain of wisdom, and source of delight. They 
were to meditate therein day and night, and teach their 
children to do likewise ; until, with its types realized, and 
its prophecies accomplished in the Redeemer, it should go 
forth out of Sion in perfect beauty, and run and be glorified 
among the nations. The "law" and the "testimony" are 
now become ours ; and it is our duty to transmit them down 
to latest posterity, until Jesus shall return to judgment. 

7. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget 
the works of God, but keep his commandments : 8. And 
might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious 
generation ; a generation that set not their heart aright, and 
whose spirit was not stedfast with God. 

The reason is here assigned, why God gave Israel a law, 
and commanded that fathers should teach it to their children, 
and their children's children; and the same reason holds with 
regard to the gospel, namely, that the chosen people, re- 
nouncing the world, with its idols and lusts, should believe 
and "set their hope in" the true "God," the only Saviour : 



314 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVIII. 



that they should "not forget the works" which he hath 
wrought for their redemption; and that, ever mindful of 
those works, they should love him, and "keep his command- 
ments ; " not following the examples of the fathers of Israel, 
who proved "faithless," and "rebellious" in the wilderness, 
when God had brought them out of Egypt. This is the 
very use St. Paul makes of those examples. — "With some 
of them," says he, "God was not well pleased, for they 
were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things 
are our examples," tvttoi tj/xcov, " to the intent we should 
not lust after evil things, or be idolaters, or commit forni- 
cation, &c. &c. as did some of them."- — ] Cor. x. 5. 

9. The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying 
boivs, turned back in the day of battle. 

As the context treats concerning the behaviour of Israel 
in general, upon their coming out of Egypt ; and as the 
cowardice of the tribe of Ephraim in particular, at that time, 
is no where mentioned ; it is therefore most probable, that 
one tribe is here put for all the rest ; and that under the 
figure of men, when prepared for battle, turning their backs 
at sight of an enemy, is pointed out that disposition of the 
Israelites, after all their promises, resolutions, and vows of 
serving and obeying God, to fall away, and relapse into sin, 
upon the first redemption. How often is this the case with 
the Christian soldier ? Let not him, who hath but just put 
on his spiritual armour, boast, like him who is putting it off, 
when the fight is over, and the victory obtained. 

10. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk 
in his law. 11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that 
he had showed them. 12. Marvellous things did he in the sight 
of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. 

These verses, it is apprehended, describe in plain terms, 
what was metaphorically expressed in the verse preceding, 
namely, the proneness of the Israelites to break the "cove- 
nant," transgress the "law," and forget the "works" of God, 
even those astonishing works wrought in "Egypt," and in 
"Zoan," its capital city. Let the Christian, who, perhaps, 
is amazed at the frequent rebellions of stiff-necked Israel, 
reflect a little within himself, how he has observed the bap- 
tismal "covenant;" how he has "walked in the law," and 
with what gratitude he has remembered the " marvellous 
works" of Jesus. 



DAY XV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 315 

13. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through, 
and he made the waters to stand as an heap. 

From the miracles wrought in Egypt, the Psalmist pro- 
ceeds to what happened at the Exodus. And here he fails 
not to mention that great work of Almighty power, the 
division of the Red Sea, which was ever uppermost in the 
thoughts of a devout Israelite ; as the passage of the church, 
in Christ her Saviour, through the grave and gate of death, 
ought never to depart from the memory of a Christian. 

14. In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, and all 
the night with a light of fire. 

During the forty years pilgrimage of Israel in the wilder- 
ness, a preternatural column of fire and cloud attended the 
camp. It rested with them, and moved on before them, 
directing and conducting them in their journeys; in the night- 
season it was a bright and shining light ; and in the day- 
time it afforded a grateful, cooling shade from the burning 
heat of those sultry deserts. Thus is Christ present with 
his church, while she sojourns upon earth, by his Word and 
his Spirit, guiding her steps, enlightening her darkness, 
and mitigating her sorrows. 

15. He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them 
drink as out of the great depths. 16. He brought streams 
also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like 
rivers. 

Let us, saith Bishop Taylor, by the aids of memory and 
fancy, consider the children of Israel in the wilderness, in a 
barren and dry land, where no water was, marching in dust 
and fire, not wet with the dew of heaven, but wholly without 
moisture, save only what dropped from their own brows. The 
air was fire, and the vermin was fire ; the flying serpents were 
of the same kindred with the firmament ; their sting was a 
flame, their venom was a fever, and the fever a calenture ; and 
the whole state of the Israelites' abode and travel was a little 
image of the day of judgment, when the elements shall melt 
with fervent heat. These men, like salamanders walking in 
fire, dry with heat, scorched with thirst, and made yet more 
thirsty by calling on God for water ; suppose, I say, these 
thirsty souls, hearing Moses promise that he will smite the 
rock, and that a river should break forth from thence; ob- 
serve how presently they run to the foot of the springing stone, 
thrusting forth their heads and tongues to meet the water, 



316 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVI1I. 



impatient of delay, cry out that the water did not move, like 
light, all at once; and then suppose the pleasure of their 
drink, the insatiableness of their desire, the immensity of 
their appetite : they took in as much as they could, and 
they desired much more. This was their sacrament, and 
this was their manner of receiving it. And if that water was 
a type of our sacrament, or sacrament of the same secret 
blessing, then is their thirst a signification of our duty.* 

17. And they sinned yet more against him, by provok- 
ing the Most High in the wilderness. 1 8. And they tempted 
God in their hearts, by asking meat for their lust. 19. Yea, 
they spake against God : they said, Can God furnish a 
table in the wilderness ? 20. Behold, he smote the rock, that 
the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed, can he 
give bread also, or provide flesh for his people ? 

These frequent rebellions of Israel, with the presence of 
God in the midst of them, and his miracles before their 
eyes, would seem incredible, had they been related any 
where but in the oracles of truth ; and did not the heart of 
every self-knowing Christian at once acknowledge the pic- 
ture which is here drawn of human nature, its incredulity 
and perverseness. For hath not God delivered us from the 
house of bondage, and supported us in the wilderness ; is not 
Jesus present in the church, and are not his miracles of love 
and mercy continually before our eyes, in the word and in 
the sacrament ! Yet, who does not still " provoke " and 
" tempt the Most High?" who does not ask provision for 
his "lust," when his necessities are satisfied ? and who, after 
all the proofs he has had of God's power and goodness, is 
not apt, upon every appearance of danger, to be diffident, 
and distrustful of his providence ? Before we condemn 
others let us try ourselves, and judge righteous jndgment. 
When David pronounced the words — " The man that hath 
done this thing shall surely die," little did he think of being 
told, by his faithful monitor — "Thou art the man." Con- 
science, if duly interrogated, will be a Nathan to every one, 
and show him his own transgressions, in those of old Israel. 

21. Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth; so a 
fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up 
against Israel ; 22. Because they believed not in God, and 
trusted not in his salvation : 23. Though he had commanded 
* Worthy Communicant, p. 92. 



DAY XV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



317 



the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 
24. And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had 
given them of the corn of heaven. 25. Man did eat angels" 
food : he sent them meat to the full. 

The discontents, mentioned above, in ver. 17, &c. were 
posterior not only to the miracle at the rock, but also to the 
gift of " manna," which, after some little time, the people 
" loathed," and demanded "flesh," repenting that they had 
forsaken Egypt, where they fared more to their satisfaction. — 
See Numb. xi. The cause of the discontents was infidelity, 
and the effect of them a display of God's indignation; — "The 
Lord was wroth — because they believed not," &c. Now, 
as St. Paul styles the water "spiritual," or "sacramental 
drink," proceeding from a " spiritual rock, which rock was 
Christ;" so he terms the manna "spiritual," or sacra- 
mental meat; they did all eat of that same spiritual meat." 
— 1 Cor. x. 3. And our Lord, in John vi. discourses at 
large upon the subject, to convince the Jews, that God, who 
gave to their fathers manna in the wilderness, had in him, 
given them "the true bread" of eternal life, which the 
manna was intended to represent. " I am the living bread 
which came down from heaven, if any man eat of this bread, 
he shall live for ever ; and the bread that I will give, is my 
flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Christ 
crucified is the support of spiritual and eternal life ; faith is 
the mouth by which this support is received ; manna was 
an outward and visible sign of it to the Israelites in the 
wilderness ; the eucharistic bread is such to Christians in 
the world. When that holy ordinance is celebrated, " the 
doors of heaven are opened," spiritual food is given from 
above, "and man eats O^TIN C2th the bread of the mighty 
ones ; " whether by "mighty ones " we understand those who 
eat the bread, and are invigorated thereby; or the blessed 
persons who give the bread to man. Such is our manna, 
our sustenance in the wilderness, our viaticum, while on the 
road to Canaan. But how is it "loathed," and despised, in 
comparison with "the flesh pots of Egypt," by men who 
" believe not in God, and trust not in his salvation ! " Will 
not the same cause produce the same effect ; Will not 
"Jehovah hear this, and be wroth?" Will not "a fire be 
kindled against Jacob, and anger a] so come up against Israel? 
For this cause," saith an apostle to the irreverent Corinthian 



318 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVIII 



receivers, " many are weak and sickly among you, and 
many sleep." — 1 Cor. xi. 30. 

26. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven : and by 
his power he brought in the south wind. 27. He rained flesh 
also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand 
of the sea. 28. And he let it fall in the midst of their camp 
round about their habitations. 29. So they did eat and were 
well filled : for he gave them their own desire. 30. They were 
not estranged from their lust ; but while the meat was yet in 
their mouths, 31. The wrath of God came upon them, and 
slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of 
Israel. 

The people, discontented with manna, asked, in a tumul- 
tuous and rebellious way, for flesh, at the same time distrust- 
ing the power of God to give it them in the wilderness. 
Flesh, however, was procured. A wind, proper for the oc- 
casion, went forth from Jehovah, and brought a cloud of 
quails, which furnished the whole camp with a most deli- 
cious kind of flesh food, for the space of an entire month. 
But from the event we learn, that inordinate desires, though 
sometimes complied with, and satisfied by heaven, do not 
therefore go unpunished ; on the contrary, they are often 
punished, by being complied with. The blessings, chosen 
for us by God, are blessings indeed, and, like the manna, 
bring no sorrow with them : but when we choose for our- 
selves, and are so unhappy as to be gratified in that choice, 
our portion too often proves a curse ; and while the much- 
loved morsel is yet between our teeth, " the wrath of God 
comes upon us," for making a wrong choice. This will 
always be the case in the end, whenever earth is preferred 
to heaven, and sense to faith. 

32. For all this they sinned still : and believed not for his 
wondrous works. 33. Therefore their days did he consume 
in vanity, and their years in trouble. 

Mercies are followed by provocations ; provocations are 
punished with judgments; to judgments succeed repeated 
provocations, which call down fresh judgments. Immediately 
after the history of the quails, we read of a sedition stirred 
up by Aaron and Miriam, and of newmurmurers at the report 
brought by the spies, concerning the promised land; in con- 
sequence of which last, the nation had been destroyed, but 
fo:* the intercession of Moses ; and the whole generation of 



DAY XV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



319 



those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, 
actually fell in the wilderness, wasted and consumed by 
various plagues and calamities, during a forty year's pere- 
grination. — See Numb. xii. — xiv. St. Jude makes mention of 
such a generation in the early days of the Christian church — 
speakers of " hard speeches against Christ, murmurers, com- 
plainers, walking after their own lusts ; " and he therefore 
puts converts " in remembrance, how that the Lord, having 
saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward de- 
stroyed them that believed not." — Jude ver. 5. and 15. 
Because, notwithstanding all that Jesus has done, and con- 
tinues to do for the church, men " sin yet more, and believe 
not for his wondrous works," but either despise the heavenly 
country, or despair of obtaining it, therefore is the hand of 
God heavy upon the world ; "vanity and trouble " wear out 
the life of man ; and they who have passed the waters of 
baptism, fall short of the promised rest. 

34. When he slew them, then they sought him ; and they 
returned, and inquired early after God. 35. And they re- 
membered that God was their rock, and the high God their 
Redeemer. 36. Nevertheless did they flatter him with their 
mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. 37. For 
their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast 
in his covenant. 

Several instances of this behaviour occur in the history 
of Koran's rebellion and punishment, of the fiery serpents, 
and of Israel and Moab. — See Numb. xvi. xx. xxi. xxv. 
The Israelites, in this particular, resembled their great perse- 
cutor Pharaoh ; their repentance which came with the divine 
judgments, went also away with them, and appeared no 
more. By night the dew falleth from heaven, and refresheth 
the weary ground, and causeth the green herb and the flower 
of the field to revive and spring ; but in the morning, the sun 
ariseth with a burning heat, and presently the dew is evapo- 
rated, the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, and the ground 
again becometh parched and dry, as before. Thus it is with 
man. Adversity is the night, and grace is the dew, by which 
his heart is made tender and religious, and good resolutions 
are formed, and begin to shoot; but returning prosperity has 
the force and effect of a summer sun ; at its presence piety 
vanisheth, resolutions come to nothing, and the heart is once 
more hardened. — " O Ephraim," exclaims Jehovah by his 



320 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVIII, 



prophet, "what shall I do unto thee ? O Judah, what shall 
I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, 
and as the early dew it passes away." — Hosea vi. 4. Who, 
that hath been conversant in the house of mourning, and 
about the bed of sickness, but must have seen frequent in- 
stances of a temporary and deceitful repentance ? Whose 
heart doth not reproach him with some of those backslidings 
of Israel ? In the day, therefore, of health and strength, 
and prosperity, before the indignation of heaven break forth, 
and the right-aiming thunderbolts fly abroad, from a motive 
of love, not of fear, let us "seek early after God, and return 
from our sins, remembering the rock of our salvation, and 
the high God, our Redeemer." Thus may we entertain some 
hope that our conversion is sincere ; that we do not "flatter 
and lie" unto our Maker; that our "heart is right with 
him," and we shall continue " stedfast in his covenant." 
And then, a plant that is set and lives in the heat of the 
day, how will it thrive and flourish under the cool and 
moist influences of night. 

38. But he being full of compassioti. forgave their iniquity 
and destroyed them not : yea, many a time turned he his anger 
away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 32. For he remem- 
bered that they were but flesh ; a wind. or. breath, that 
p asset h away, and comet h not again. 

Had God "stirred up all his wrath," the Israelites must 
have been exterminated in the wilderness. But then the 
promises made to Abraham, of mercy and "compassion" to 
them, and by them to all mankind, had failed. Therefore 
they were "forgiven" and not "destroyed:" judgment was 
executed from time to time, upon the persons of offenders ; 
but still a remnant was left ; the nation subsisted, until the 
Seed came, to whom the promise was made. Nay, although 
in consequence of their last and greatest crime, their polity 
was subverted with their city and temple, the race is yet 
marvellously preserved ; and, we trust, preserved for mercy, 
to be shown them in the last days. Be not angry, O Lord 
Jesu, for ever, with them, or with us ; but remember of 
what materials we are made, and into what a state we are 
fallen; how weak and how frail we are; how liable to be 
seduced into sin, and blinded by error : remember this, 
O Lord, and forgive us ; and teach us to remember it, that 
we may forgive one another. 



DAY XY. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



321 



40. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and 
grieve him in the desert ? 41. Yea, they turned back, and 
tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. 42. They 
remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them 
from the hand of the enemy: 43. How he had wrought his 
signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoar. 

The question which the Psalmist here asks, concerning 
Israel in the wilderness, is elsewhere asked by him, concern- 
ing mankind in general: "Who can tell how oft he oflend- 
eth?" — Ps. xix. 12. God informs Moses, who had interceded 
for the people, and, in the name of the great Mediator, ob- 
tained their pardon, that " those men which had seen his 
glory, and his miracles which he did in Egypt and in the 
wilderness, had tempted him ten times, and had not heark- 
ened to his voice." — Numb. xiv. 22. Forgetfulness of the 
mercies of redemption is the beginning of sin; and though 
every one knows how to resent and detest the crime of in- 
gratitude in another, he yet thinks that his best Benefactor 
will overlook the most flagrant instances of it in himself. 

44. And had turned their rivers into blood: and their 
floods, that they could not drink. 45. He sent divers sorts of 
flies, Heb. a mixture, whether of beasts, or insects, noisome 
and destructive, among them, which devoured them ; and frogs 
which destroyed them. 46. He gave also their increase unto 
the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust. 47. He de- 
stroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-trees with 
frost. 48. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their 
flocks to hot thunderbolts, or, flashes of lightning. 

The Psalm goes back to the subject of Israelitish ingrati- 
tude, mentioned at the beginning, verse 11, 12. in order to 
introduce an account of the miracles wrought in Egypt, pre- 
vious to the Exodus. These miracles were intended to evince 
the superiority of Jehovah over the elements and powers of 
nature, which at that time were objects of worship amongst 
the Egyptians, but plainly appeared to act at the command 
of Moses, in subordination of their great Creator, the God 
of the Hebrews. In the heavens, on the earth, and in the 
waters, supremacy and independency were demonstrated to 
belong to him only: Are and air, thunder and lightning, 
wind, rain, and hail, obeyed his word : rivers became blood, 
and their inhabitants perished: insects and animals left their 
wonted habitations, to destroy vegetables or torment man ■ 

Y 



322 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVIII. 



so that wherever the gods of Egypt were supposed to reside, 
and to exert their influences in favour of their votaries, in 
all places, and all circumstances, victory declared for Jehovah. 
Hence modern as well as ancient idolaters may learn, not to 
put their trust in the world, but in him who made, and who 
can and will destroy it; whose power can render the most 
insignificant of his creatures instruments of his vengeance, 
and, in a moment, arm all the elements against sinners; and 
whose mercy will employ that power in the final salvation of 
the church; when, as the author of the Book of Wisdom ex- 
pressed it, " He shall make the creature his weapon for the 
revenge of his enemies, and the world shall fight for him 
against the unwise." — Wisd. v. 17, 20. The curious and 
striking reflections which that author makes on the plagues 
of Egypt, in chap. xi. xvii. — xix. are well worthy an atten- 
tive perusal. It is also to be observed, that St. John 
describes the judgments of the last days in terms plainly 
alluding to those poured out upon the Egyptians, " as locusts 
and frogs; blood and darkness," &c. — See Rev. ix. xvi. 
et al. Under these images are represented, false teachers 
and erroneous doctrines, carnality and ignorance, and, in a 
word, whatever contributes to ravage the moral or spiritual 
world, to deface the beauty of holiness, and destroy the fruits 
of faith. And of all the divine judgments, these are by far 
the most dreadful, though generally the least dreaded. 

49. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger*, wrath, 
a?id indignation and trouble, by sending evil angels among 
them. 

Some of the Egyptian plagues having been specified in the 
foregoing verses, others of them are here thrown together, 
and the whole scene is affirmed to have been a full display 
of wrath and vengeance, executed upon the oppressors of the 
church by D*$H O^DN7tt "evil angels, agents, or messengers;" 
whether by this expression we understand the material in- 
struments of divine displeasure, or angels employed as 
ministers of vengeance, or the actual appearance and minis- 
tration of evil spirits, suffered to torment the wicked in this 
world, as they certainly will do in the next. Tradition seems 
to have favoured this last opinion, since the author of the 
Book of Wisdom, above referred to, describes the Egyptian 
darkness as a kind of temporary hell, in which there appeared 
to the wicked, whose consciences suggested to them every 



DAY XV. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



323 



thing that was horrible, " a fire kindled of itself, very dread- 
ful; they were scared with beasts that passed by, and hissing 
of serpents : and they were vexed with monstrous appari- 
tions, so that they fainted, and died for fear; while over 
them was spread an heavy night, an image of that darkness 
which should afterward receive them." — Wisd. xvii. 

50. He made a way to his anger ; he spared not their soul 
from death , but gave their life over to the pestilence ; 51. And 
smote all the first-born in Egypt; the chief of their strength 
in the tabernacles of Ham, 

The last plague was the death of the first-born, both of 
man and beast, Exod. xii. 29. when God, having removed 
every obstacle that mercy had thrown in the path of justice, 
" made a way to his indignation," which then rushed forth 
like a fiery stream. An unlimited commission was given to 
the destroyer, who at midnight passed through the land, 
and gave the fatal stroke in every house. " While all things, 
O Lord, were in quiet silence, and that night was in the 
midst of her swift course, thine Almighty word leaped down 
from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war 
into the midst of a land of destruction, and brought thine 
unfeigned commandment as a sharp sword, and standing 
up, filled all things with death : and it touched the heaven, 
but it stood upon the earth." — Wisd. xviii. 14. Pharaoh 
and all his servants rose up in the night; there was a great 
cry throughout all the land of Egypt ; and universal conster- 
nation reigned, inferior only to that which is to extend its 
empire over the world, when " the trumpet shall sound, and 
the dead shall be raised." May we be saved, like Israel, in 
that hour, through the blood of the true Paschal Lamb, slain 
to take away the sins of the world! — "When I see the 
blood," says Jehovah to his people, " I will pass over you." 

52. But made his own people to go forth like sheep; and 
guided them in the wilderness, like a flock: 53. And he led 
them on safely, so that they feared not; but the sea over- 
whelmed their enemies. 54. And he brought them to the 
border of his Sanctuary, even to his mountain, which his 
right hand had purchased. 55. He cast out the heathen also 
before them; and divided them an inheritance by line: and 
made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. 

Having related the punishments inflicted on Egypt, the 
Psalmist returns to those mercies experienced by the Israel- 

y 2 



324 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVIII. 



ites, when God overthrew their enemies, took them under his 
protection, fed, and conducted them in the wilderness, 
brought them to the promised land, expelled the heathen, 
settled his people, and at length fixed his residence on Mount 
Sion, which is represented as the conquest and acquisition 
of his own arm ; since the victories of Joshua, &c. were all 
owing to the divine presence and assistance. The Christian 
church, after her redemption by "the blood of the Lamb," 
passed 300 years in a state of minority, as it were, and under 
persecution, which, with allusion to what befell Israel of old, 
is called, in the Revelation, her flight and abode in the 
wilderness. — Rev. xii. 6. At length, the true " Joshua," or 
Jesus, " brought" her " into the possession of the Gentiles," 
see Acts vii. 45. and she enjoyed a temporary rest and 
prosperity. But no terrestrial Canaan, no secular advantages, 
should make us forget, as the Jews did, and as Christians 
are apt to do, that the church is in the wilderness, while she 
is in the world; and that " there remaineth yet" another and 
far more glorious "rest for the people of God," after which 
they ought ever to be aspiring. — See Heb. iv. 9. 

56. Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and 
kept not his testimonies: 57. But turned back, and dealt un- 
faithfully like their fathers: they were tiwned aside like a 
deceitful bow. 58. For they provoked him to anger with 
their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their 
graven images. 

The Israelites, when settled in the promised land, soon 
showed themselves to be the genuine descendants of those 
men who tempted God in the desert. We can hardly read 
two chapters in the book of Judges, but we meet with the 
words — "And the children of Israel again did evil in the 
sight of the Lord." For this their frequent revolting they 
are compared to " a deceitful bow," which when put to the 
trial, is sure to disappoint the archer, either dropping the 
arrow at his feet, or carrying it wide of the mark. Their 
zeal and love were either wholly relaxed and enervated by 
sensuality and indolence, or else turned aside, and misplaced 
on false objects of worship. Thus, in the present decline 
of religion, the devotion of the Romanists hath attached 
itself to saints, angels, and images ; while that of Protestants 
sleepeth, and must be awakened. In what manner, is 
known to God only. 



DAY XV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



325 



59. When God heard this, he was ivroth, and greatly ab- 
horred Israel; 60. So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, 
the tent which he placed among men: 61. And delivered his 
strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemies" hand. 

Rebellion against God will, sooner or later, draw down 
his vengeance, and cause the most beloved nation to be 
" abhorred" by him; he will forsake the place of his resi- 
dence, " the tent placed among men," where he dwelleth by 
his Spirit; and the church, by which his " strength" and 
his " glory" are manifested to the world, shall go " into cap- 
tivity, and the enemies' hand." All this we are taught by 
that which came to pass in Israel, when, for the sins of 
priests and people, the ark of God, which then abode in 
Shiloh, was suffered to fall into the hands of the Philistines. 
— 1 Sam. iv. The present state of Jerusalem, and of all the 
once flourishing eastern and African churches, speaks aloud 
the same awful and concerning truth. — " He that hath ears 
to hear, let him hear." 

62. lie gave his people over also to the sword: and was 
wroth with his inheritance. 63. The fire consumed their 
young men : and their maidens were not given to marriage. 
64. Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows made 
no lamentation. 

These verses refer to the slaughter of Israel by the Phi- 
listines, which was an effect of divine wrath, compared here, 
as elsewhere, to " a consuming fire;" they refer likewise to 
the death of old Eli, of Hophni, and Phinehas, and the 
widow of Phinehas, who expired in child-bed on hearing 
the mournful news. — 1 Sam. iv. History abounds with the 
tragical stories of wars and captivities : scripture informs us, 
they are the judgments of God against sin: but calamities 
affect us not, till they become our own: it is well if they 
reform us, even when they do become so. 

65. Then the Lord awaked, as one out of sleep, and like a 
mighty man, that shouteth, by reason of wine. 

While, by God's permission, the Philistines were chas- 
tising his people for their sins, he held his peace and seemed 
unconcerned, as one asleep. But when due chastisement 
had brought the delinquents to themselves, the cries of peni- 
tent Israel awakened, as it were, and called forth the zeal 
of the Lord of hosts, to vindicate his honour, and deliver 
his servants : and then the vigour of his operations was such, 



326 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXVim 



as might be compared to the alacrity and courage of a mighty 
champion, when refreshed and inspirited by wine, he attacks 
his adversaries, and bears down all before him. Under all 
our sufferings, let us rest contented with this assurance^ that 
God acts the part of a father; and will therefore remove 
the rod, when it has answered the end proposed. 

66. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts; he put 
them to a perpetual reproach. 

The former clause of this verse may be rendered — "And 
he repulsed, or, drove his enemies back;" as Psalm ix. 3. 
— "When mine enemies are turned back;" the word T)HN 
being the same, in both the places. But as that part of the 
sacred history is here alluded to, in which the Philistines 
are said to have been plagued with " emerods," or " hemor- 
rhoids," while the ark was amongst them, the passage is 
generally rendered, as in our translation, and supposed to 
intend that particular plague. Thus much, however, is 
certain, that Dagon fell before the ark, when his worship- 
pers were glad to send back, with acknowledgments of the 
vengeance inflicted on them by the superior power of the 
God of Israel, who could punish where, and when, and how 
he pleased. — See 1 Sam. v. vi. 

67. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and 
chose not the tribe of Ephraim. 68. But chose the tribe of 
Judah, the Mount Sion which he loved. 69. And he built 
his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath 
established for ever. 

The ark, after its return, went no more to Shiloh, which 
was in the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, but was 
brought first to Kiriathaim, 1 Sam. vi. 21. a city of the tribe 
of Judah, and from thence, after a short stay at the house 
of Obed-edom, to Mount Sion, 1 Chron. xiv. xv. which 
was the chosen and highly favoured mount: where was 
afterward erected, by Solomon, a magnificent and perma- 
nent habitation for the God of Jacob, during the continuance 
of the old dispensation; a resemblance of that eternal temple, 
in which all the fulness of the Godhead hath since dwelt 
bodily. The divine presence removed at this time to the 
tribe of Judah, because out of that tribe, after the rejection 
of Saul, came the great representative, as well as pro- 
genitor, of King Messiah. 

70. He chose David also his servant, and took him from 



DAY XVI. M.P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



327 



the sheep-folds. 71. From following the ewes great with 
young, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel 
his inheritance. 72. So he fed them according to the integrity 
of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands. 

The call of David from a sheepfold to a throne teacheth 
us, that he who had showed himself faithful in a few and 
small concerns, is worthy of promotion to more and more 
important cares ; that the qualifications requisite for the due 
discharge of high offices, are best learned, at first, in an 
inferior station, especially if it be one that will inure to labour k 
and vigilance ; and that kings are to consider themselves as 
"shepherds;" which consideration would perhaps teach them 
their duty better than all the precepts in the world. From 
the last verse, relative to David's manner of conducting him- 
self after his advancement, we learn that integrity and dis- 
cretion, when they meet in the same person, form a complete 
ruler, and one fit to represent that blessed person, who 
entered, like his father David, through sufferings into his 
glory ; who governeth his church in wisdom and righteous- 
ness ; and of whom it is said, by the evangelical prophet — 
" He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the 
lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall 
gently lead those that are with young." — Isa. xl. 11. 



SIXTEENTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

The argument of this Psalm is neajrly the same with that of the lxxivth. 
The church, persecuted and afflicted, sets forth, 1 — 3. the sacrilegious 
devastation, and cruel slaughter made by the enemy, with, 4. the reproach 
occasioned thereby; 5 — 7. she prayeth for redress and deliverance; 
8, 9. confesseth, and entreateth forgiveness of the sins, which had brought 
these calamities upon her; and then, 10 — 12. asketh a removal of her 
reproach and misery; promising, 13. endless gratitude and praise for the 
same. We meet with passages of this Psalm, Jer. x. 25. 1 Macc.vii. 17. 
but when it was composed is not known. 

1. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance, 
thy holy temple have they defiled: they have laid Jerusalem 
on heaps. 



328 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXIX. 



Three deplorable calamities are here enumerated by the 
faithful; the alienation of God's inheritance, the profanation 
of the sanctuary, and the desolation of the beloved city. 
When we represent in our prayers, the sufferings and 
humiliation of the church, we take an effectual method of 
awakening the compassion, and recalling the favour of 
heaven. Every redeemed soul is the inheritance, the temple, 
the city of God. When sin enters, and takes possession, 
the inheritance is alienated, the temple defiled, the city 
desolated. 

2. The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be 
meat unto the fowls of heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the 
beasts of the earth. 3. Their blood have they shed like water 
round about Jerusalem : and there was none to bury them. 

That horrible carnage, which attends the siege and capture 
of a city, is the fourth of those calamities bewailed in our 
Psalm. To behold, or even to imagine, heaps of slaughtered 
bodies lying unburied, and exposed to birds and beasts of 
prey, is inexpressibly shocking to humanity. But with what 
unconcern are we accustomed to view, on all sides of us, 
multitudes " dead in trespasses and sins," torn in pieces, 
and devoured by wild passions, filthy lusts, and infernal 
spirits, those dogs and vultures of the moral world ! Yet, 
to a discerning eye, and a thinking mind, the latter is by 
far the more melancholy sight of the two. 

4. We are become a reproach to our neighbours ; a scorn 
and derision to them that are round about us. 

A fifth calamity, incident to an afflicted church, is to 
become, like captive Israel, the " scorn and derision" of 
infidels, who fail not, at such seasons, to reproach her, and 
blaspheme her God. We know how to answer those who 
reproach us with our sufferings, for so their predecessors 
reproached our Master; but what shall we say, if we have 
given the enemy occasion to reproach us with our sins? 
The only real disgrace of religion, is the wickedness of its 
professors. 

5. How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever ? Shall 
thy jealousy burn like fire. 

Parched and exhausted, amidst the flames of persecution, 
we behold Sion panting for the comforts of redemption. The 
extent and continuance of her troubles cause her to fear a 
total extermination; and, by the questions here asked, she 



DAY XVI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



329 



tacitly reminds God of his promises, not to give her up, and 
destroy her for " ever," on account of Messias, whom she 
was, in the fulness of time, to bring forth. 

6. Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not 
known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called 
upon thy name. 7. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid 
waste his dwelling-place. 

This, though uttered in the form of a wish, or prayer, is to 
be considered, like many other passages of the same nature, 
as a prediction of what would afterward come to pass. 
Pagan ambition and cruelty were often employed to chastise 
offending Israel; but were themselves, notwithstanding, 
justly punished in their turn, by other powers, raised up for 
that end. That relation, in which the church stands to God, 
causes him, upon her repentance, to appear in her behalf, 
and to execute vengeance on her oppressors, who " know 
him not, nor call upon his name." " We are thine," saith 
Isaiah, " thou never barest rule over them, they were not 
called by thy name." — Ixiii. 19. The church, for her sins, 
may deserve to suffer; but her enemies are not therefore 
without guilt, nor will they escape without punishment. 

8. O remember not against us former iniquities : let thy 
tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very 
low. 9. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of 
thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins for thy 
names sake. 

Affliction hath then wrought its intended effect, when it 
hath convinced us of sin, and led us to repentance ; when, 
brought back by it, like the returning prodigal, to the house 
and presence of our heavenly Father, we acknowledge our 
guilt as the cause of our misery, and entreat forgiveness of 
the one, in order to obtain a release from the other; not 
pleading our own merits, but the mercies of God our 
Saviour, and the glory of his name. 

10. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their 
God ? let him be known among the heathen in our sight, by 
the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed; or, 
let the vengeance of thy servants' blood that is shed, be 
known among the heathen that is in our sight. 

It is for " the glory of God's name," to deliver his church ; 
because, while she is in trouble, that name is blasphemed by 
the enemy, as if he wanted either power, or will, to prevent 



330 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXIX. 



or remove the calamities of his servants. Prayer is therefore 
here made by the faithful, that God, not to gratify any vin- 
dictive spirit of theirs, but to vindicate his own attributes, 
would break the teeth of the oppressor, and work a public 
and glorious salvation for his chosen; at beholding which, 
the very adversaries themselves might possibly be converted. 

11. Let the sighing of the 'prisoner come before thee: 
according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those 
that are appointed to die. 

Next to those who had been slain, the case of such as 
groaned in captivity, lying bound in chains and fetters, under 
sentence of death, to be inflicted at the will of their cruel 
and insulting conquerors, is recommended to God. The 
Christian, though he may at present be subject to none of 
these external calamities, forgets not that he is often perse- 
cuted, and led captive, by his own desires, and bound in the 
chains of his sins; that the world to him is a prison; that 
sentence of death is passed upon him, and he knoweth not 
how soon that sentence may be executed. How properly, 
therefore, and how fervently may he, at all times, pray, " O 
let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according 
to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are 
appointed to die." 

12. And render unto our neighours sevenfold into their 
bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, 
O Lord. 

That is, As they have reproached thee with weakness, so 
manifest to others their weakness, who are but sinful dust 
and ashes ; as they have endeavoured to make thee contemp- 
tible, so let the world have just cause to despise them, who 
have thus presumptuously offended ; according as it is written, 
" Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise 
me shall be lightly esteemed." — 1 Sam. ii. 30. And how- 
ever different the appearance of things may now be, this will 
certainly be found true, in every instance, at the last day. 

13. So we, thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, will give 
thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all 
generations. 

Such is the resolution of a church, under persecution; and 
such ought to be the practice of every church, when delivered 
out of it, and restored to the favour and protection of her God. 
The same is the duty of every soul, with regard to afflictions 



DAY XVI. M. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



331 



and mercies of a private kind. But how glorious will be the 
day, when, triumphant over sin and sorrow, over every thing 
that exalteth and opposeth itself, the church universal shall 
behold the adversary disarmed for ever; while she herself, 
placed in pastures of joy, and led to the waters of eternal 
comfort, shall, from age to age, incessantly sing the praises of 
her great Shepherd and Bishop, her King, and her God ! 



PSALM LXXX. 

ARGUMENT. 

The church, still in captivity, 1 — 3. crieth unto God for help and redemp- 
tion; 4 — 7. complaineth of her grievous afflictions; 8 — 13. describeth 
her former exaltation, and present depression, under the beautiful figure 
of a vine; 14 — 16. returneth again to her supplications ; and, 17 — 19. 
prayeth for the advent of Messiah, to quicken and comfort her, vowing 
all loyal obedience, adoration, and praise to him, as the Author of her 
salvation, 

1. Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph 
like a flock : thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine 
forth. 

The Christian church is now become the " Israel " of God. 
Jesus Christ is the " Shepherd" of this Israel, who leadeth 
his people " like a flock; " he dwelleth in the midst of them 
by his Spirit, as of old he dwelt in the holy places, " between 
the cherubim." Let us beseech him to hearken to our 
prayers, and to manifest the glory of his power, in our 
defence and deliverance. 

2. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up 
thy strength, and come and save us. 

God is entreated to go forth, in his strength and his salva- 
tion, before the tribes of Israel, as formerly in the wilderness. 
Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh are particularly men- 
tioned, perhaps, because, according to the established order, 
those three tribes immediately followed the ark and cherubim, 
the symbols of the divine presence. — See Numb. ii. 18. 

3. Turn, or, restore us again, O God, and cause thy face 
to shine; and ice shall be saved. 

This verse is a kind of chorus, occurring three times in the 
course of our Psalm. It implies, that the church is in capti- 



332 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXX. 



vity, from which she prayeth to be " restored" to her former 
freedom and prosperity ; that she expected such restoration, 
not from any might or merit of her own, but from the grace 
and mercy of her Saviour ; as well knowing that her night 
can be turned into day, and her winter give place to spring, 
only by the Sun of Righteousness rising, and causing his face 
to shine upon her desolations. This ought, therefore, to be 
the wish and the prayer of every persecuted church, and of 
every afflicted soul. 

4. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry 
against the prayer of thy people? 

The sins of a people may for a time " separate between 
them and their God, and hide his face from them that he will 
not hear; " Isa. lix. 2. he may " cover himself with a cloud, 
that their prayers should not pass through;" Lam. iii. 44. 
and seem to reject even the devotions of his distressed ser- 
vants, while he is proving the strength of their faith, and the 
sincerity of their repentance. But if the former be strong, 
and the latter sincere, they will continue to ask, till they 
have obtained; nor cease to knock, till the door be opened. 

5. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, or, of weep- 
ing; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. 

There cannot be a more striking picture of Sion in capti- 
vity ! Her bread is dipped in tears, and her cup is filled to 
the brim with them : no time is free from grief and lamenta- 
tion. They who sin, must submit to penance; which, if a 
man doth not impose on himself, God will impose it on him : 
whereas, if we judged ourselves, we should not be thus judged 
of the Lord. The church hath appointed seasons, and given 
directions for this purpose ; but who observes either the one 
or the other. 

6. Thou ynakest us a strife unto our neighbours : and our 
enemies laugh among themselves. 

Israel, when forsaken by her God, was a prey, for which 
all the neighbouring nations contended, exulting over her, 
and scoffing at that condition to which, not their counsels 
or armies, but their own iniquities, had reduced her. Hence 
let us learn how to form a just estimate of the real state both 
of communities and individuals. Righteousness alone exalt- 
eth man; sin is his reproach, and will be his destruction. 

7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to 
shine, and we shall be saved. See above, ver. 3, 8. Thou 



DAY XVI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



333 



hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the 
heathen, and planted it. 

God is reminded of the favour once shown by him to the 
church of Israel, and of that prosperity which she once en- 
joyed. She is compared to a " vine," removed from the 
unkindly soil of Egypt, to the happier regions of Canaan, 
and there planted by Jehovah," in the place of nations extir- 
pated for their unfruitfulness. The vine is a plant weak and 
lowly, and needing support; when supported, wild and lux- 
uriant, unless- restrained *by the pruning knife; capable of 
producing the most valuable fruit, but, if barren, the most 
unprofitable among trees, and fit only for the flames. In all 
these respects, it is a lively emblem of the church, and used 
as such by Isaiah, v. 7. by Ezekiel, xv. xvii. xix. and by our 
Lord himself, Matt. xxi. 33. The Christian church, after her 
redemption, by the death and resurrection of Jesus, was 
planted in the heathen world, as Israel had been in Canaan; 
and the description suits one as well as the other. 

9. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to 
take deep root, and it filled the land. 10. The hills were 
covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were 
like the goodly cedars; or, and the goodly cedars were 
covered with the boughs thereof. 

As the vine striketh its roots deep into the soil prepared for 
it, and then dirTuseth its numerous branches all around, 
covering the fertile hills, by the sides of which it is planted, 
or running up the lofty cedars, to the bodies of which it is 
joined; such was the growth and fruitfulness of the Israel- 
itish church; but much greater was that of the church 
Christian. Her roots were fast fixed in the hearts and 
affections of the faithful, and her boughs shot forth abun- 
dantly; they often felt the knife, but increased under it, 
both in number and vigour; till, at length, she overshadowed 
the Roman empire with her branches, and replenished the 
earth with her fruit, grateful to God and man. 

11. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches 
unto the river. 

This relates to the extent of Palestine, which was occupied 
by the tribes of Israel, even from the Mediterranean " Sea," 
westward, to the " river" Euphrates, eastward. This was 
promised, Deut. xi. 24. — " From the river Euphrates to the 
uttermost sea shall your coast be: " and filled in the days 



334 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXX. 



of Solomon. — See 1 Kings iv. 21. Ps. lxxii. 8. To the 
Christian church the whole earth was the land of promise, 
and the gospel was preached to all nations. " I will give 
thee," saith Jehovah to Christ, " the heathen for thine inhe- 
ritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy pos- 
session." — Ps. ii. 3. 

12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that 
all they which pass by the way, do pluck her? 

The Psalmist, having described the exaltation of Israel, 
under the figure of a vine, proceeds, under the same figure, 
to lament her depression. She is now represented as de- 
prived of the protection of God, the counsels of the wise, 
and the arms of the valiant; of all her bulwarks and forti- 
fications, and whatever else could contribute to her defence 
and security; so that like a vineyard without a fence, she 
lay open, on every side, to the incursions and ravages of 
her neighbouring adversaries, who soon stripped her of all 
that was valuable, and trod her under foot. 

13. The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild 
beast of the field doth devour it. 

Fierce and unrelenting her heathen persecutor issued, at 
different times, from his abode, like a "wild boar" out of the 
forest, resolved not only to spoil and plunder, but to eradi- 
cate and extirpate her for ever. Nor let the church Christian 
imagine, that these things relate only to her elder sister. 
Greater mercies, and more excellent gifts, should excite in 
her greater thankfulness, and call forth more excellent virtues ; 
otherwise they will serve only to enhance her account, and 
multiply her sorrows. If she sin and fall after the same 
example of unbelief, she must not think to be distinguished 
in her punishment, unless by the severity of it. She may 
expect to see the favour of heaven withdrawn, and the secular 
arm, instead of supporting, employed to crush her; her dis- 
cipline may be annihilated, her unity broken, her doctrines 
perverted, her worship deformed, her practice corrupted, her 
possessions alienated, and her revenues seized ; till at length 
the word be given from above, and some antichristian power 
be unchained, to execute upon her the full vengeance due to 
her crimes. Unclean desires, and furious passions, are the 
enemies of the soul, which deface her beauty, and devour all 
the productions of grace, in that lesser vineyard of God. 

14. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts; look down 



DAY XVI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



335 



from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; 15. And the 
vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch 
that thou madest so strong for thine own self 

The church, thus distressed and desolated, offereth a 
prayer for the return of the divine favour, and for a gracious 
visitation from on high ; she beseecheth God to look down, 
with an eye of pity, from heaven, on the vineyard, which 
his own hands had " planted," and on that royal branch, 
the family of David, in particular, which he had raised and 
established for himself, to accomplish his eternal purpose of 
saving mankind by Messiah, who was, one day, to spring 
from the root of Jesse. The Chaldee Paraphrast expounds 
" the branch," of Messiah himself \$hfc hv "On King 

Messiah, whom thou hast established," &c. So do the 
Rabbies, Aben Ezra, and Obadiah, cited by Dr. Hammond. 
And the lxx, instead of supposing the word X2 " a son," to 
refer to "vine," and so signify a "branch," which, in the 
Hebrew style, is, " a son of the vine," have rendered the 
passage, em viov avOpwirov, "on the Son of man;" an ex- 
pression actually used by the Psalmist two verses below. 
To the advent of this Son of man, Israel was ever accus- 
tomed to look forward, in time of affliction; on his second 
and glorious advent the Christian church must fix her eye, 
in the day of her calamities. 

16. It is burnt with fire: it is cut down, or, dug up: 
they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. 

The sad estate of the vineyard is yet again set forth, to 
excite the compassion of heaven. As to the latter clause of 
this verse, if it be rendered, as our translators have rendered 
it, in the present time, it seems to relate to the Israelites, 
and the destruction made amongst them by the wrath of 
God. If it have a future rendering, " they shall perish at 
the rebuke of thy countenance," it may be supposed to pre- 
dict the fate of the adversaries, when God should deliver 
his people out of their hands. 

17. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon 
the Son of man, whom thou madest strong for thyself 

These phrases, "the man of thy right hand," and " the 
Son of man," if at all applicable, in a lower and subordinate 
sense, to a temporal king of Israel, considered as a repre- 
sentative of Messiah, are most certainly, in their full and 
prophetical acceptation, intended to denote King Messiah 



33G 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXI. 



himself. # Assured of his coming, the church prayeth, that 
the " hand," the protection, and the power of Jehovah might 
be " upon " him, over him, and with him, in his great under- 
taking, finally to deliver her out of all her troubles, and to 
" lead her captivity captive." 

18. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we 
will call upon thy name. 

The end of our redemption is, that we should serve him 
who hath redeemed us, and " go back, no more to our old 
sins. That soul which hath been "quickened" and made 
alive by Christ, should live to his honour and glory; that 
mouth which hath been opened by him, can do no less than 
show forth his praise, and " call upon his" saving " name." 

19. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts; cause thy face 
to shine, and we shall be saved. — See ver. 3. 



PSALM LXXXI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, whensoever, or by whomsoever composed, was probably, 
intended to be sung at the feast of trumpets, as also at any other feast 
time. It contains, 1 — 3. an exhortation duly to observe the festivals of 
the church, 4, 5. as God had appointed, who is introduced expostulating 
with his people, on account, 6 — 10. of his mercies, and 11, 12. their 
ingratitude, and 13 — 16. under the form of the most affectionate wish, 
renewing his promises, on condition of their obedience. 

1. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise 
unto the God of Jacob. 2. Take a psalm, and bring hither 
the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. 

If Israelites were thus exhorted to keep their feast days, 
with joy and gladness of heart; to exalt their voices, and 
join together all their sweetest instruments of music, in 
honour of him who had rescued them from the Egyptian 
bondage, and given them a law from Sinai ; in what exulting 
strains ought we to celebrate the festivals of the Christian 
church? With what triumph of soul, and harmony of affec- 
tions, are we bound to "sing aloud to God our strength," 
who hath redeemed us from death, and published the gospel 
from Sion? Since, as the apostle saith, "holy days, new 

* " Virum dexteroe tuse:" Davidem a te designatum et confirmatum 
Regem, et in ejus figura Christum. — Bossuet. 



DAY XVI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



337 



moons, and sabbath-days," of old, were only a "shadow of 
things to come; but the body is of Christ." — Col. ii. 16. 

3. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time 
appointed, on our solemn feast day. 

In the Jewish church, notice was given of feasts, jubilees, 
&c. by sound of trumpet. All the new moons, or beginnings 
of months, were observed in this manner, see Numb. x. 1. 
but on the September new moon, or first day of the seventh 
month, was kept a great festival, called "the feast of trum- 
pets," Lev. xxiii. 24. Numb. xxix. 1. which, probably, is 
here intended. This September new moon had a particular 
regard paid to it, because, according to the old calculation, 
before Israel came out of Egypt, it was the first new moon 
in the year, which began upon this day, the first of the 
(afterward) seventh month. The tenth of the same month 
was the great day of atonement ; and on the fifteenth was 
celebrated the feast of tabernacles. — See Lev. xxiii. 27, 34. 
Our Psalm, therefore, seems to have been designed for the 
purpose of awakening and stirring up the devotion of the 
people, upon the solemn entrance of a month, in which they 
were to commemorate so many past blessings, prefigurative 
of much greater blessings to come. We have now our feast 
days, our Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, &c. On these, 
and all other solemn occasions, let the evangelical trumpet 
give a sound of victory, of liberty, of joy and rejoicing ; of 
victory over death, of liberty from sin, of joy and rejoicing 
in Christ Jesus our Saviour. 

4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the 
God of Jacob. 5. This he ordained in Joseph, for a testi- 
mony, when he went out through, or, against the land of 
Egypt : where / heard a language that I understood not. 

The meaning is, that the observation of feasts, with blow- 
ing of trumpets, was a statute, law, or testimony, ordained 
in Joseph, or Israel, by God himself, after he had destroyed 
the Egyptians, and brought his people into the wilderness, 
where the law was given. Concerning the words — " I heard 
a language that I understood not," it is difficult to account 
for the change of person ; but the sense seems to be, that the 
children of Israel received the law, when they had been in 
bondage under a people of a strange and barbarous language, 
or dialect. The passage is exactly parallel to that in Ps. 
cxiv. 1. — "When Israel went out of Egypt, and the house of 

z 



338 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXI. 



Jacob from a people of strange language," &c. The new 
law, with its sacraments and ordinances, was promulged 
after the spiritual redemption by Christ, as the old law, with 
its rites and ceremonies, was published after the temporal 
deliverance by Moses. 

6. / removed his shoulder from the burden : his hands 
were delivered from the pots. 

From this verse to the end, it is plain, that God is the 
speaker. He reminds Israel of their redemption, by his 
mercy and power, from the burdens and the drudgery im- 
posed on them in Egypt. Moses describeth their then state 
of servitude, by saying, " the Egyptians made their lives 
bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all 
manner of service in the field," Exod. i. 14. that is, proba- 
bly, in making vessels of clay, as this verse seems to imply. 
Let us remember, that we have been eased of far heavier 
burdens, delivered from severer taskmasters, and freed from 
a baser drudgery ; the intolerable load of sin, the cruel 
tyranny of Satan, the vile service and bitter bondage of 
concupiscence. 

7. Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I 
answered thee in the secret place of thunder ; I proved thee 
at the waters of Meribah. 

God declares his readiness, at all times, to hear the prayers 
and relieve the distresses of his people as he did when they 
cried unto him in Egypt, and in the wilderness, received 
answers from the cloudy pillar. In that deep recess he had 
fixed his awful throne, and from thence, on proper occasions, 
he manifested his power and glory, protecting Israel, and 
confounding their adversaries. In Ps. xxix. 6. it is said of 
" Moses, Aaron," &c. — "They called upon the Lord, and he 
answered them : he spake unto them in the cloudy pillar;" 
which passage seems exactly parallel to that in the verse 
under consideration — a Thou calledst, and — I answered thee 
in the secret place of thunder. " He who spake unto Israel in 
the cloudy pillar, hath since spoken to us by his Son : he 
who " proved them at the waters of Meribah," Exod. xvii. 
6, 7. now proves us, by the various trials, in the world. 

8. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee : O 
Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me ; 9. There shall no 
strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any 
strange god. 10. I am the Lord thy God, which brought 



DAY XVI. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 339 

thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I 
will Jill it. 

God here addresseth himself to the Israelites, putting 
them in remembrance of that first and great commandment 
against idolatry ; of his claim to their obedience, as their 
God and Saviour ; and of his being both able and willing 
to satisfy the utmost desires and wishes of such as would 
apply to Him for blessing and comfort. Behold, then, the 
rebellion, the ingratitude, and the folly of that man, who 
saith, to any creature — " Thou art my god who bestoweth 
on the world that fear, love, and adoration, which are due 
only to its Creator and Redeemer ; who wasteth his days 
in seeking after happiness, where all, by their inquietude, 
acknowledge that it is not to be found. 

11. But my people would not hearken to my voice, and 
Israel would none of me. 12. So I gave them up unto their 
own hearts* lust : and they walked in their own counsels. 

By the subject of an earthly prince, it is justly deemed a 
great honour for his sovereign to. converse with him, to 
counsel and advise him : but from sinful dust and ashes, we 
hear the majesty of heaven complaining, that he cannot 
obtain an audience ; no one will attend to, or observe his 
salutary admonitions. When we see men enabled, by 
wealth and power, to accomplish the inordinate desires of 
their hearts, and carry their worldly schemes into execution, 
without meeting with any obstructions in their way, we are 
apt to envy their felicity ; whereas such prosperity in 
wickedness is the surest mark of divine displeasure, the 
heaviest punishment of disobedience, both in individuals and 
communities. — " My people would not hearken to my voice, 
and Israel would none of me : so I gave them up unto their 
own hearts' lust : and they walked in their own counsels/' 

13. O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel 
had walked in my ways I 14. / should soon have subdued 
their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 

Such are the tender mercies of our God, that he is not 
only careful to provide for us the means of salvation, but 
represents himself as mourning with a paternal affection 
over his children, when their frowardness and obstinacy 
disappoint the efforts of his love. One cannot help observing 
the similitude between the complaint here uttered, and 
one which hath been since breathed forth, over the same 

z 2 



340 



A COMMENTARY 



[pS. LXXXI. 



people ; — " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I 
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth 
her chickens under her wings, and ye would not ! " 

15. The haters of the Lord should have submitted them- 
selves unto him ; or, should have failed, or, been subdued to 
him ; but their time, i. e. the time of his people, should have 
endured for ever. 

The transgressions of the church give her enemies all their 
power against her, calling the avenger from afar, and setting 
an edge on the sword of the persecutor. "Where the car- 
case is," where the Spirit of religion is departed, and has 
left the body to corrupt and decay, " there the eagles are 
gathered together;" all the instruments of vengeance, 
terrestrial and infernal, flock, by permission, to the prey. 
Had not this been the case with regard to Israel, Jerusalem 
had continued to be through all ages, what she was in the 
days of Solomon, the delight of the nations, and the joy of 
the whole earth. 

16. He should have fed them also with the finest of the 
wheat ; and with honey out of the rock should I have satis- 
fied thee. 

That is, the Israelites, if obedient, would still have en- 
joyed the sweets of that good land, in which the Lord their 
God had placed them, where the fruits of the earth were 
produced in the highest perfection, and honey streamed 
from the very rocks, so that no part of the country was 
without its increase. Upon the same conditions of faith 
and obedience, do Christians hold those spiritual and eter- 
nal good things, of which the pleasant fields and fertile 
hills of Canaan were sacramental. Christ is the "bread" 
of life, he is the "rock" of salvation, and his promises are 
as "honey" to pious minds. But they who reject him as 
their Lord and Master, must also lose him, as their 
Saviour and their reward. 



DAY XV T. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



341 



SIXTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist addresseth himself to judges and magistrates ; 1. he remind- 
eth them of the presence of that God whom they represent, and to whom 
they are accountable ; 2 — 4. he exhorteth them to the due discharge of 
their office ; 5. reproveth the ignorance and corruption among them ; 
6, 7. threateneth their fall and punishment; 8. prayeth for the manifes- 
tation of Messiah, and the establishment of his righteous kingdom. 

1. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty : he 
judgeth among gods. 

Earthly judicatories are the appointment of God. All 
magistrates act in his name, and by virtue of his commis- 
sion. He is invisibly present in their assemblies, and 
superintends their proceedings. He receives appeals from 
their wrongful decisions ; he will one day rehear all causes 
at his own tribunal, and reverse every iniquitous sentence, 
before the great congregation of men and angels. Unjust 
judges must either disbelieve, or forget all this. God is, 
in like manner, present to the heart of each individual ; 
he is privy to the various reasonings and pleadings of grace 
and nature, of principal and interest, in that lesser court ; 
and he is a witness of its determinations ; which also will 
by him be manifested to the world, and openly canvassed, 
when he sitteth in judgment. 

2. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons 
of the wicked? 3. Defend the poor and fatherless: do 

justice to the afflicted and needy. 4. Deliver the poor and 
needy : rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 

A charge is here given, by the Spirit of God, to all magis- 
trates, much like that which king Jehoshaphat gave to his 
judges, 2 Chron. xix. 6, 7. — "Take heed what ye do: for 
ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in 
the judgment. Wherefore now, let the fear of the Lord 
be upon you ; take heed, and do it : for there is no iniquity 
with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of 
gifts." It is the glory of Jehovah and his Christ, to "accept 



342 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXII. 



no man's person " in judgment; to regard neither the quality 
nor the station of the offender ; but to give to every man, of 
whatever rank or degree in the world, according to his works. 

All the sons of Adam were once " poor and fatherless, 
needy and afflicted," when God took their cause into his own 
hands, and, by a method consistent with the strictest justice, 
"delivered them out of the hand of the wicked one." Every 
oppressor of the poor is a likeness of that " wicked one," 
and every upright judge will endeavour to resemble the 
Redeemer. For this purpose he will be always willing to 
admit, diligent to discuss, solicitous to expedite the cause 
of a poor and injured person, and to afford such an one 
the speediest, the cheapest, and the most effectual redress, 
equally contemning the offers of opulence, and the frowns 
of power. A judge who acts in this manner, takes the 
readiest way to obtain the favour of God ; and the people 
will be sure to bless him. 

5. They know not, neither will they understand ; they 
walk on in darkness ; all the foundations of the earth, or, 
the land, are out of course ; or, nod, or, shake. 

We here find the prophet deploring, in magistrates, a 
method of proceeding contrary to that above described. He 
laments their voluntary ignorance in the ways of righteous- 
ness, and their choosing to "walk in darkness." In judges 
this is occasioned by "presents and gifts," which, as saith 
the son of Sirach, "blind the eyes of the wise." — Ecclus. 
xx. 29. And if once the "pillars" and "foundations" are 
moved from their integrity, and "shaken" to and fro by 
every blast of fear and favour, what shall become of the 
political fabric erected upon them ? Verily it must fall, 
and great and terrible will be the fall thereof. A com- 
munity, whether ecclesiastical or civil, consisteth of great 
numbers ; but its well-being dependeth on a few, in whose 
hands the adm nistration is placed. When the salt hath 
lost its savour, the mass must putrefy; when the light 
becometh darkness, how great must be that darkness ! 

6. / have said ye are gods, and all of you are children of 
the Most High. 7. But ye shall die like men, or, Adam, 
and fall like one of the princes. 

It is true then that magistrates are exalted above other 
men; that they are dignified with a commission from above; 
appointed to be the vicegerents of heaven upon earth ; and 



DAY XVI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



343 



therefore called by the name of him, in whose name they 
act. But it is likewise as true that notwithstanding all this 
honour conferred upon them, for the good of others, and of 
themselves, if they use it aright, they still continue to be 
the mortal sons of mortal "Adam;" like him, they must 
fall and perish ; God can, at any time, cast them down 
from their high estate, as he did the heathen " princes," 
who misbehaved themselves, and opposed his counsels : 
death certainly will strip them of all their authority, and 
lay them low in the grave ; from thence the last trumpet 
shall call them forth, to stand, with the rest of their breth- 
ren, before the judgment seat of Christ, there to take their 
trial, and receive their everlasting sentence. How neces- 
sary oftentimes is this consideration, to check the spirit of 
tyranny and injustice, to qualify the pride and insolence 
of office ! 

8. Arise, O God, judge the earth : for thou shalt inherit 
all nations. 

A view of that disorder and confusion in which frequently 
the Jewish nation, as well as the rest of the world, was 
involved, caused the prophets most earnestly to wish and 
pray for the coming of that time, when "God" should 
"arise," in the person of Messiah, to visit and "judge the 
earth ;" to deliver it from the powers of darkness, and the 
tyranny of sin; to "inherit all nations," as purchased and 
redeemed by him ; to establish his church among them ; 
and to rule with a sceptre of righteousness, in the hearts of 
his people. — "Arise" yet once again, O Lord Jesu, from 
thy throne, where thou sittest at the right hand of the 
Father; "judge the earth," again corrupted and over- 
whelmed with iniquity ; do away sin, and put an end for 
ever to the power of Satan ; "inherit all nations," redeemed 
from death, and ransomed from the grave : and reign to 
eternity, King of Righteousness, Peace, and Glory. 



344 



A COMMENTARY [PS. LXXXIH. 



PSALM LXXXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the church, 1 — 8. complaineth to God of the insolence, 
subtilty, rage, and malice of her enemies, united in lose confederacy 
against her ; 9 — 12. she prayeth for the manifestation of that power, 
which formerly discomfited Jabin, Sisera, and the Midianites; that so 
the hostile nations, 13 — 15. made sensible of the superiority of Israel's 
God, 16 — 18. might either themselves be induced to acknowledge him, 
or else, by their destruction, become a warning and admonition to others. 
As, while the world endureth, there will be a church, and while there is 
a church, she will have her enemies, who are to increase upon her as 
the end approacheth, this Psalm can never be out of date. And to the 
spiritual adversaries of his soul every private Christian may apply it at 
all times. 

1. Keep not thou silence, O God ; hold not thy peace, 
and be not still, O God. 2. For lo, thine enemies make a 
tumult : and they that hate thee have lift up their head. 

The church entreateth God again and again to hear and 
help her in the day of trouble. Her enemies and haters are 
here said to be the enemies and haters of God, because 
Christ and the church, like man and wife, are one ; they 
have one common interest, they have the same friends, and 
the same foes. To him therefore she applieth, terrified by 
the tumultuous noise of confederated nations, roaring 
against her like the roaring of the sea, and " lifting up their 
heads," as so many monsters of the deep, to devour her at 
once. When temptations are urgent upon the soul, and 
the passions rise in arms against her peace and innocence, 
then do " the enemies of God make a tumult, and they 
that hate him lift up their heads ; " and then is the time 
for her to be instant in prayer. 

3. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, 
and consulted against thy hidden ones. 4. They have said, 
Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation : that the 
name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. 

The combination, so much dreaded, is described as having 
been formed upon the best principles of secular policy, with 
much subtilty, and the most determinate malice, against the 
" people" of God, and his " hidden ones," that is, his pecu- 
liar nation, separated from the world, and taken under the 
cover and protection of his wings. To root up the planta- 



DAY XVI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



345 



tions of paradise, to extirpate the holy seed, to extinguish 
the very "name of Israel," was the scheme intended by these 
associated adversaries of Sion. Such are our spiritual 
enemies ; such is their cunning, their rage, and their resolu- 
tion ; what prudence, what vigilance, what courage are 
necessary, that we may oppose them with success ! 

5. For they have consulted together ivith one consent ; 
they are confederate against thee. 

When Christ was about to be crucified, it is observed by 
St. Luke, that "the same day Pilate and Herod were made 
friends together ; for before they were at enmity between 
themselves." — Luke xxiii. 12. And however the enemies of 
the church may quarrel one with another, when they have 
nothing else to do, yet if a favourable opportunity offer itself 
for making an attack upon her, they lay aside their differences, 
and unite as one man; by no means refusing the friendly 
aid everi of infidels and atheists, who are always ready to 
join in carrying on the war against the common adversary. 

6. The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites : of Moab, 
and the Hagarenes. 7. Gebal, and Amnion, and Amalek : 
the Philistines, with the inhabitants of Tyre. 8. Assur also 
is joined with them : they have holpen the children of Lot. 

These are the names of the confederates. The Edomites 
were descended from Esau, that old original enemy of Jacob ; 
the Ishmaelites from Ishmael, the son of the bond woman, 
and sworn foe to Isaac, heir of the promises ; the Moabites 
sprang from Moab, one of the incestuous children of Lot ; 
the Hagarenes were other descendants of Hagar ; who the 
Gebalites were, is uncertain ; the Ammonites came from 
Ammon, the Son of Lot, and incestuous brother of Moab ; 
the Amalekites were the progeny of Amalek, the grandson 
of Esau, Gen. xxxvi. 16. the Philistines and Tyrians are 
well known ; and to complete all, Assur, or the power of 
Assyria, was called in by the children of Lot, the Moabites 
and Ammonites, to assist in the great work of exterminating 
Israel from the face of the earth. These were the ten nations 
banded together, by a solemn league and covenant, against 
the people of God. And as Israel was the grand figure of 
the Christian church, which is now "the Israel of God," so 
her enemies are often represented by the above-recited 
nations, and in prophetical language are called by their 
names. Every age has its Edomites, and its Ishmaelites, 



346 



A COMMENTARY [PS. LXXXIII. 



&c. &c. The actors are changed, and the scenes are 
shifted ; but the stage and the drama continue the same. 

9. Do unto them as unto the Midianites : as to Sisera, as 
to Jabin, at the brook of Kison : 10. Which perished at 
Endor : they became as the dung of the earth. 11. Make 
their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb: yea, all their princes like as 
Zeba and Zalmunna: 12. Who said, Let us take to our- 
selves the houses of God in possession. 

The church, having recounted the enemies which com- 
passed her about on every side, looks up for succour to that 
Almighty power which had of old so graciously interposed 
on her behalf, and rescued her from her persecutors, in the 
days of Deborah, Barak, and Gideon. — See Judges iv. — viii. 
Fully sensible that those deliverances were wrought by the 
immediate hand of Jehovah, she offers the prayer of faith for 
a like manifestation of his glory, and a like victory over 
those who intended, in the same manner, to seize and de- 
vour his inheritance. Of how great use and comfort are 
the Old-Testament histories to us, in all our afflictions ! 

13. O my God, make them like a wheel : or, like thistle- 
down; as the stubble before the wind. 14,. As the fire burneth 
the wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire ; 
1 . So persecute, or, thou shalt pursue them with thy tempest, 
and make, or, thou shalt make them afraid with thy storm. 

The fate of those is here predicted, who invade the in- 
heritance of Jehovah, and say " Let us take to ourselves the 
houses of God in possession." The inconsistency and muta- 
bility of their fortunes is resembled to " thistle-down, 1 ' or 
some such light revolving body, and to "stubble," or chaff, 
whirled about and dissipated by the " wind :" the sudden- 
ness, horror, and universality of their destruction are set 
forth by the similitude of a "fire " consuming the dry trees in 
a "forest," or some combustible matter on the "mountains." 
Such is the storm and tempest of God's indignation, which 
pursues and terrifies the sacrilegious and ungodly. 

16. Fill their faces with shame : that they may seek thy 
ame, O Lord. 17. Let them, or, they shall be confounded 
and troubled for ever ; yea, let them, or, they shall be put to 
shame and perish. 18. That men may know that thou, whose 
name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth. 

The punishments inflicted by heaven upon wicked men 
are primarily intended to humble and convert them. If they 



DAY XVI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



347 



continue incorrigible under every disposition of merciful 
severity, they are at last cut off, and finally destroyed; and 
others, admonished by their example, may repent, and re- 
turn, and give glory to God. Salutary are the afflictions 
which bring men, and happy the men who are brought by 
them, to an acknowledgment of " Jehovah our Righteous- 
ness," our exalted and glorified Redeemer, " the Most High 
over all the earth;" whom all must acknowledge, and before 
whom all must appear to be judged, in the great and terrible 
day. 



PSALM LXXXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, for the subject matter of it, bears a resemblance to the xlii. 
Under the figure of an Israelite, deprived of all access to Jerusalem 
and the sanctuary, (whether it were David, when driven away by Absa- 
lom, or any other person in like circumstances, at a different time,) we 
are presented with, 1, 2. the earnest longing of a devout soul after the 
house and presence of God ; 3—7. a beautiful and passionate eulogy 
on the blessedness of his ministers and servants; 8 — 10. a fervent 
prayer for the participation of that blessedness; and, 11, 12. an act of 
faith in his power and goodness, which render him both able and willing 
to grant requests of this nature. 

1. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! 
Thus ardently doth a banished Israelite express his love 

for Sion, his admiration of the beauty of holiness. Nay, 
Balaam himself, when from the top of Peor he saw the chil- 
dren of Israel abiding in their tents, with the Glory in the 
midst of them, could not help exclaiming, "How goodly 
are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel ! " — 
Numb. xxiv. 5. "How amiable," then, may the Christian 
say, are those eternal mansions, from whence sin and sor- 
row are excluded ; how goodly that camp of the saints, and 
that beloved city, where righteousness and joy reign tri- 
umphant, and peace and unity are violated no more ; where 
thou, O blessed Jesu, " Lord of hosts," King of men and 
angels, dwellest in glorious majesty, constituting by thy 
presence, the felicity of thy chosen ! 

2. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of 
the Lord : my heart and my flesh crieth out, or, shouteth 
for the living God. 



348 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXIV. 



It is said of the queen of Sheba, that, upon beholding the 
pleasantness of Jerusalem, the splendour of Solomon's court, 
and, above all, the magnificence of the temple, with the 
services therein performed, " there was no more spirit in 
her." — 1 Kings x. 5. What wonder, therefore, if the soul 
should be affected, even to sickness and fainting, while, from 
this land of her captivity, she beholdeth, by faith, the hea- 
venly Jerusalem, the city and court of the great King, with 
all the transporting glories of the church triumphant : while, 
in her meditation, she draweth the comparison between her 
wretched state of exile upon earth, and the unspeakable 
blessedness of being delivered from temptation and affliction, 
and admitted into the everlasting " courts of Jehovah ? " 
Whose "heart and flesh" doth not exult, and "shout" aloud 
for joy, at a prospect of rising from the bed of death, to 
dwell with "the living God;" to see the face of him, "in 
whom is life, and the life is the light of men ? " — John i. 4. 
Did the Israelites, from all parts of Judea, go up, with the 
voice of jubilee, to keep a feast at Jerusalem ; and shall 
Christians grieve, when the time is come for them to ascen 1, 
and to celebrate an eternal festival, in heaven ? 

3. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow, 
or, ringdove a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, 
even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. 

The Psalmist is generally supposed, in this verse, to lament 
his unhappiness, in being deprived of all access to the taber- 
nacle, or temple, a privelege enjoyed even by the birds, 
who were allowed to build their nests in the neighbourhood 
of the sanctuary. It is evidently the design of this passage 
to intimate to us, that in the house, and at the altar of 
God, a faithful soul findeth freedom from care and sorrow, 
quiet of mind, and gladness of spirit ; like a bird, that has 
secured a little mansion for the reception and education of 
her young. And there is no heart, endued with sensibility, 
which doth not bear its testimony to the exquisite beauty 
and propriety of this affecting image. 

4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will he, 
or, are still praising thee. 

Here the metaphor is dropped, and the former sentiment 
expressed in plain language. " Blessed are," not the mighty 
and opulent of the earth, but "they that dwell in thy house," 
the ministers of the eternal temple in heaven, the angels and 



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OX THE PSALMS. 



349 



the spirits of just men made perfect ; their every passion is 
resolved into love, every duty into praise ; hallelujah suc- 
ceeds hallelujah ; " they are still," still, for ever, " praising 
thee." And blessed, next to them, are those ministers and 
members of the church here below, who, in disposition, as 
well as employment, do most resemble them. 

5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee : in whose 
heart are the ways of them ; Heb. the wags are in the heart 
of them. 

Not only they are pronounced blessed, who " dwell" in the 
temple, but all they also who are " travelling" thitherward, 
(as the whole Jewish nation was wont to do, three times in 
a year,) and who are therefore meditating on their "journey," 
and on the "way" which leadeth to the holy city, trusting 
in God to "strengthen," and prosper, and conduct them 
to the house of his habitation, the place where his glory 
dwelleth. Such a company of sojourners are Christians, 
going up to the heavenly Jerusalem ; such ought to be their 
trust in God, and such the subject of their thoughts.* 

6. Who passing through the valley of Baca, make it a 
well : the rain also fillet h the pools. 7. They go from strength 
to strength, every one of them in Zion appear eth before 
God; or, the God of gods appeareth, i. e. to them, in Zion. 

After numberless uncertain conjectures offered by commen- 
tators upon the construction of these two verses, it seemeth 
impossible for us to attain to any other than a general idea 
of their true import ; which is this — that the Israelites, or 
some of them, passed, in the way to Jerusalem, through a 
valley that had the name of " Baca," a noun derived from 
a verb which signifies to " weep ;" that in this valley they 
were refreshed by plenty of water; that with renewed vigour 
they proceeded from stage to stage, until they presented 
themselves before God in Zion. The present world is to us 

* In ejus animo versanti!!' semitse ferentes ad templum quo properat. 
Morali sensu ; Quicunque sanctus est, quotidie in priora extenditur, ec 
praeteritorum obliviscitur, cum Paulo, Phil. iii. 13. — Bossuet. Jerusalem 
is represented in the New Testament as a type of heaven. I see nothing 
irrational, therefore, in supposing, that the inspired writer, in describing 
the ascent to Jerusalem, might have in view also that spiritual progress, 
leading to the city which is above, the mother of us all. The words 
before us are certainly very applicable to the advances made, in this pro- 
gress, from strength to strength, from one stage of Christian perfection to 
another. — Merrick. 



350 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXIV 



this valley of weeping ; in our passage through it, we are 
refreshed by the streams of divine grace, flowing down from 
the great fountain of consolation ; and thus are we enabled 
to proceed from one degree of holiness to another, until we 
come to the glorified vision of God, in heaven itself. Mr. 
Merrick's poetical version of this passage is extremely beau- 
tiful, and applies at once to the case of the Israelite, and to 
that of the Christian. 

Bless'd, who, their strength on thee reclin'd, 
Thy seat explore with constant mind, 
And, Salem's distant tow'rs in view, 
With active zeal their way pursue : 
Secure the thirsty vale they tread, 
While, call'd from out their sandy bed, 
(As down in grateful show'rs distill'd 
The heav 'ns their kindliest moisture yield,) 
The copious springs their steps beguile, 
And bid the cheerless desert smile. 
From stage to stage advancing still, 
Behold them reach fair Sion's hill, 
And prostrate at her hallowed shrine, 
Adore the Majesty divine. 

8. O Lord God of hosts, hear my 'prayer : give ear, O 
God of Jacob. 9. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon 
the face of thine Anointed. 

After extolling the happiness of those who dwelt in the 
temple, and of those who had access to it, the Psalmist breaks 
forth into a most ardent Prayer to his God, for a share in 
that happiness. He addresseth him as " the Lord of hosts," 
Almighty in power; as " the God of Jacob," infinite in 
mercy and goodness to his people ; as their " shield," the 
object of all their trust for defence and protection ; and 
beseecheth him to look upon the face of his Anointed," that 
is, of David, if he were king of Israel when this Psalm was 
written ; or rather of Messiah,* in whom God is always well 
pleased ; for whose sake he hath mercy upon us ; through 
whose name and merits our prayers are accepted, and the 
kingdom of heaven is opened to all believers. 

10. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand : I 
had rather be a door keeper in the house of my God, than 
to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

One day, spent in meditation and devotion affordeth a 
pleasure, far, far superior to that, which an age of worldly 
* " Christi tui :" Regis, qui Christi figura. — Bossuet. 



DAY XVI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



351 



prosperity could give. Happier is the least and lowest of 
the servants of Jesus, than the greatest and most exalted 
potentate, who knoweth him not. And he is no proper 
judge of blessedness, who hesitates a moment to prefer the 
condition of a penitent in the porch, to that of a sinner on 
the throne. If this be the case upon earth, how much more 
in heaven ? O come that one glorious day, whose sun shall 
never go down, nor any cloud obscure the lustre of his 
beams ; that day, when the temple of God shall be opened 
in heaven, and we shall be admitted to serve him for ever 
therein ! 

1 1 . For the Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will 
give grace and glory ; no good thing will he withhold from 
them that walk uprightly. 

Jesus Christ is our " Lord," and our "God ;" he is a 
"sun," to enlighten and direct us in the way, and a "shield," 
to protect us against the enemies of our salvation ; he will 
give "grace" to carry us on "from strength to strength," 
and " glory" to crown us when we " appear before him in 
Zion;" he will "withhold" nothing that is "good" and 
profitable for us in the course of our journey, and will him- 
self be our reward, when we come to the end of it. 

12. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in 
thee. 

While, therefore, we are strangers and sojourners here 
below, far from that heavenly country where we would be, 
in whom should we trust, to bring us to the holy city, New 
Jerusalem, of which the Lord God and the Lamb are the 
temple, but in thee, O Saviour and Redeemer, who art 
the head of every creature, the Captain of the armies of 
heaven and earth, the Lord of hosts, and King of Glory ? 
"Blessed," thrice "blessed is the man that trusteth in 
thee." 



352 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXV. 



PSALM LXXXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, appointed by the church to be used on Christmas-day, 1 — 3. 
celebrateth the redemption of the Israel of God from their spiritual 
captivity under sin and death ; 4 — 7. teacheth us to pray for the full 
accomplishment of that redemption in ourselves; 8 — 11. describeth the 
incarnation of Christ, with the joyful meeting of Mercy and Truth, 
Righteousness and Peace, at his birth, and, 12, 13. the blessed effects 
of his advent. 

1. Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou 
hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. 2. Thou hast for- 
given the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their 
sin. 3. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath : thou hast 
turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. 

These three verses speak of the deliverance from captivity, 
as already brought about ; whereas, in the subsequent parts 
of the Psalm, it is prayed for and predicted, as a thing future. 
To account for this, some suppose that the Psalmist first 
returns thanks for a temporal redemption, and then prophe- 
sies of the spiritual salvation by Messiah. Others are of 
opinion, that the same eternal redemption is spoken of 
throughout, but represented, in the beginning of the Psalm, 
as already accomplished in the divine decree, though the 
eventual completion was yet to come. The difficulty, perhaps, 
may be removed, by rendering these three first verses in the 
present time ; " Lord, thou art favourable to thy land, thou 
bringest back the captivity of thy people," &c. that is, Thou 
art the God whose property it is to do this, and to show such 
mercy to thy people, who therefore call upon thee for the 
same. But, indeed, to us Christians,, who now use the Psalm, 
the difference is not material; since a part of our redemption 
is past, and a part of it is yet to come, for the hastening of 
which latter we daily pray. God hath already been exceed- 
ingly gracious and "favourable" to the whole "earth," in 
" bringing back," by the resurrection of Jesus, the spiritual 
"captivity of" his people; he hath himself, in Christ, 
" borne," and so taken away, " the iniquity of his people ; " 
he hath "covered all their sins," that they should no more 
appear in judgment against them : propitiated by the Son of 
his love, he hath removed his "wrath," and "turned himself 



DAY XVI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



353 



from the fierceness of his anger." So exactly and literally 
do these words describe the means and method of gospel 
salvation, that a Christian can hardly affix any other ideas 
to them. 

4. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger 
toward us to cease. 5. Wilt thou he angry with us for ever? 
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations! 6. Witt 
thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee? 
7. Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. 

The ancient church is here introduced as petitioning for 
the continuation and completion of those blessings which had 
been mentioned in the foregoing verses, namely, that God 
would "turn" his people from their captivity, and " cause 
his anger toward them to cease;'' that he would " revive" 
them from sin and sorrow, and give them occasion to "rejoice 
in him," their mighty Deliverer ; that he would "show them" 
openly that " mercy," of which they had so often heard, and 
" grant them that salvation," or that " Saviour," that Jesus, 
who had been so long promised to mankind. And although 
it be true, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, and hath 
virtually procured all these blessings for the church, yet do 
"we" still continue to pray, in the same words, for the actual 
application of them all to ourselves, by the conversion of our 
hearts, the justification of our persons, the sanctification of 
our souls, and the glorification of our bodies. For this last 
blessing of redemption, " the whole creation waiteth, groan- 
ing and travailing in pain together, until now." — Rom. 
viii. 22. 

8. / will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will 
speak peace unto his people, and to his saints ; but let them not 
turn again to folly ; or, that they may not turn again to folly. 

The prophet having prayed, in the name of the church, 
that Jehovah would " show them his mercy, and grant them 
his salvation," declares himself resolved, concerning this 
u salvation, to inquire and search diligently what, or what 
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in him did 
signify, when it testified beforehand the coming of Christ, 
and the glory that should follow." See 1 Pet. i. 10. he 
would attend to "what God the Lord should say," and re- 
port it to the world. Now, what was the message, which 
the prophets had commission to deliver from God, but that 
he would "speak peace, "or reconciliation, through a Saviour, 

2 A 



354 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXV. 



"to his people, and to his saints?" The gospel is accord- 
ingly styled, by St. Peter, " the word which God sent unto 
the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ." — 
Acts x. 36. And what was the end of this reconciliation 
between God and men, but that men should become, and 
continue the servants of God ; that, being washed from their 
sins by the blood of Christ, and renewed in their minds by 
the grace of Christ, they should walk in the paths of wisdom 
and holiness, and "turn not again to the folly" they had 
renounced ? 

9. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that 
glory may dwell in our land. 

God, who " calleth things that be not as though they 
were," teacheth his prophets to do likewise. The Psalmist, 
therefore, speaks with assurance of the " Saviour," as if he 
then saw him before his eyes, healing, by the word of his 
power, the bodies and the souls of men upon earth, and 
manifesting forth his " glory," in human nature, to all such 
as, with an holy "fear," and filial reverence, believed on him. 
St. John himself hardly useth plainer language, when he 
saith, " The word was made flesh, and dwelt, or tabernacled, 
among us : and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only- 
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." — John i. 14. 
The body of Christ was the true " tabernacle, or temple;" 
his divinity was the glory which resided there, and filled 
that holy place. The church is his mystical "body;" by 
his Spirit he now and ever " dwelleth in our land ; and his 
salvation is always nigh them that fear him;" as saith the 
Holy Virgin in her song, " His mercy is on them that fear 
him, throughout all generations." 

10. Mercy and truth are met together : righteousness and 
'peace have kissed each other. 11. Truth shall spring out of 
the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 

These four divine attributes parted at the fall of Adam, 
and met again at the birth of Christ. Mercy was ever in- 
clined to save man, and Peace could not be his enemy ; but 
Truth exacted the performance of God's threat, — "The soul 
that sinneth, it shall die; " and Righteousness could not but 
give to every one his due. Jehovah must be true in all his 
ways, and righteous in all his works. Now, there is no re- 
ligion upon earth, except the Christian, which can satisfy 
the demands of all these claimants, and restore an union 



DAY XVI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



355 



between them; which can show how God's word can be 
true, and his work just, and the sinner, notwithstanding, 
find mercy, and obtain peace. Mahomet's prayer, were it 
the prayer of a righteous man and a prophet, could not 
satisfy divine justice; the blood of bulls and goats was 
always insufficient for that purpose, being a figure only 
for the time then present, which ceased of course when 
the reality appeared. — " Sacrifice and burnt-offering thou 
wouldest not; then said I, Lo I come." A God incarnate 
reconciled all things in heaven and in earth. When Christ 
appeared in our nature, the promise was fulfilled, and 
" Truth sprang out of the earth." And now, Righteousness, 
" looking down from heaven," beheld in him every thing 
that she required ; an undefiled birth, an holy life, an inno- 
cent death; a spirit and a mouth without guile, a soul and 
a body without sin. She saw, and was satisfied, and returned 
to earth. Thus all the four parties met again, in perfect 
harmony : Truth ran to Mercy, and embraced her ; Right- 
eousness to Peace, and kissed her. And this could only 
happen at the birth of Jesus, in whom " the tender Mercy 
of our God visited us, and who is the Truth; who is made 
unto us Righteousness, and who is our Peace." — See Luke 
i. 78. John xiv. 6. 1 Cor. i. 30. Eph. ii. 14. Those that 
are thus joined, as attributes, in Christ, ought not, as virtues, 
to be separated in a Christian, who may learn how to 
resemble his blessed Lord and Master, by observing that 
short, but complete rule of life, comprehended in the few 
following words : — Show Mercy, and speak Truth ; do 
Righteousness, and follow Peace. — See St. Bernard, in his 
Sermon on the Annunciation; and, from him, Bishop 
Andrews on these two verses of our Psalm. # 

12. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good : and 
our land shall yield her increase. 

Unless God vouchsafe a gracious rain from above, the 
earth cannot " yield her increase." The effects of the incar- 
nation of Christ, the descent of the Spirit, and the publica- 
tion of the gospel among men, are frequently set forth in 
scripture under images borrowed from that fruitfulness 
caused in the earth by the rain of heaven. Thus Isaiah, — 

* Soluta captivitate, felicem populi statum designat, omni bonorum 
copia et virtutibus florentis; quae maxime impleta sunt, postquam Christus 
ipsa Veritas, idemque pax nostra, e terra ortus est. — Bossuet. 

2 a2 



356 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXV. 



" Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour 
down righteousness ; let the earth open, and let them bring 
forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together, 
xiv. 8. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and 
floods upon the dry ground : I will pour my spirit upon thy 
seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. And they shall 
spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water- 
courses, xliv. 3. As the rain cometh down from heaven, 
and watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud; 
so shall my word be," &c. lv. 10. Give us evermore, O 
Lord, " that which is good, that our land may yield her in- 
crease;" give us that good gift, the gift of thy Spirit, that 
we be " neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of 
our Lord Jesus Christ." — 2 Pet. i. 8. 

13. Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set 
us in the way of his steps; or, and shall set his steps in 
the way. 

Upon the appearance of the Redeemer, " Righteousness" 
is represented " as going before him," like his harbinger the 
Baptist, to prepare and make ready his way. In that way, 
the way of righteousness, " he set his steps," and walked 
therein, without the least deviation, until he had finished 
his appointed course. Draw us, blessed Jesu, and we will 
run after thee, in the path of life ; let thy mercy pardon us, 
thy truth enlighten us, thy righteousness direct us, to follow 
thee, O Lamb of God, whithersoever thou goest, through 
poverty, affliction, persecution, and death itself ; that our 
portion may be for ever in thy kingdom of peace and love. 



DAY XVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



357 



SEVENTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is entitled, A prayer of David, and supposed to have been 
written in some of his great distresses. Like others of the same kind, 
it is calculated for the use of the church, during her sufferings here 
below, by which she is conformed to the image of the true David, that 
Man of Sorrows. It contains, 1. an earnest supplication, grounded on 
the poverty, 2. the holiness, faith, 3. importunity, and, 4. devotion of 
the suppliant; and on, 5 — 7. the goodness, and/ 8. power of God, 
9, 10. to be one day acknowledged by all nations, at their conversion. 
After this follows, 11. a petition for wisdom, strength, and singleness 
of heart; 12, 13. a thanksgiving for redemption; 14. a complaint of 
persecution from the wicked; 15. an act of faith; 16, 17. a prayer for 
help and salvation. 

1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am 
poor and needy. 

All prayer is founded on a sense of our own wants, and 
God's ability to supply them. In the sight of his Maker, 
every sinner is " poor and needy;" and he must become so 
in his own, that his petitions may be regarded; he must 
pray, with the humility and importunity of a starving beg- 
gar, at the gate of heaven, if he expect the great King to 
"bow down his ear, and hear him." " The prayer of the 
humble," saith the wise son of Sirach, " pierceth the clouds; 
and till it come nigh, he will not be comforted; and will 
not depart till the Most High shall behold." — Ecclus. xxxv. 
17. The blessed Jesus, " though he was rich, yet for our 
sakes became poor, and had not where to lay his head;" nor 
is it to be doubted, but that, in his state of humiliation, he 
oftentimes made his prayer to the Father in these very words; 
— " Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me : for I am 
poor and needy." If he sued, in such a form of words, for 
us, shall we think of suing, in any other form, for ourselves? 

2. Preserve thou my soul, for I am holy : O thou my God 
save thy servant, that trusteth in thee. 

The word here translated " holy," is TDh the same which 
is used in the 16th Psalm; — "Thou shalt not suffer thine 
Holy One to see corruption." And, indeed, if we understand 



358 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXVJ. 



" holiness" in its strict sense, no one but " he whom the 
Father sanctified, and sent into the world," to redeem lost 
man, could say to him, " Preserve my soul, for I am holy." 
But the word properly signifies, " good, merciful, pious, de- 
voted to the service of God," &c. The Christian, therefore, 
only pleads, in this expression, his relation to Christ, as being 
a member of Christ's body, the church, and a partaker of the 
gifts, which, by virtue of that membership, he has received 
through the Spirit of holiness. So that this first part of the 
verse, — " Preserve my soul, for I am holy," when repeated 
by us, is equivalent to another passage in the Psalms, — 
"I am thine, O save me," cxix. 94. The latter member of 
the verse under consideration teaches us to pray for help 
and salvation, as the " servants" of God, whose eyes there- 
fore look naturally to him, "as the eyes of servants," in 
affliction, " look unto the hand of their masters." — Ps. 
cxxiii. 2. And happy, surely, are we in a Master, who, him- 
self, for our salvation, once lived, and prayed, and suffered, 
and died, in " the form of a servant." — Phil. ii. 7. 

3. Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for I cry unto thee daily. 
There is no man upon the earth but needeth "mercy;" 

he who is truly sensible of his need, will " cry daily" for it; 
and he who doth so may comfort himself with hope of ob- 
taining it. The prayers of Jesus, poured forth for the sal- 
vation of his mystical body, in the days of his flesh, were 
frequent and mighty; his intercession for us in heaven is 
continual. Does the man believe this, who prays not at 
all, or who prays without devotion? 

4. Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, 
do L lift up my soul. 

Sorrow was the portion of Christ in this world, and the 
church hath no reason to expect any other from it. He that 
would have real "joy" in his heart, must beseech God to 
give it him, for no creature hath it to give. Nay, the love 
of the world must be renounced, before this divine gift can 
even be "received." The affections must be loosened from 
earth, and " lifted up" to heaven, on the wings of faith and 
love ; for, in the soul that is full of sensual pleasures and 
indulgences, there is neither room nor taste for spiritual 
delights. 

5. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive: and 
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 



DAY XVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



359 



We are encouraged to " lift up our souls to God " in 
prayer, because his " goodness" and the " plenteousness of 
his mercy" in Christ Jesus incline him to give his Holy 
Spirit of peace and comfort to " all that call upon him." 
His favour is no longer confined to Judea; there is now no 
distinction of age, condition, or country: but the sinner, 
whoever or wherever he be, if he call upon the saving name 
of Jesus, is heard, pardoned, and accepted, upon the terms 
of the evangelical covenant. 

6. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer: and attend to the 
voice of my supplications. 7. In the day of my trouble, I 
will call upon thee ; for thou wilt answer me. 

In confidence of an "answer," nourished and strength- 
ened by all the foregoing considerations, the suppliant 
renews his prayer, while "the day of trouble" lasts; and 
that day will not end, but with his mortal pilgrimage; since 
he who loves his country, will ever be uneasy while he is 
detained among strangers and enemies, perils and tempta- 
tions. But the trouble is overpaid with profit, which 
rendereth us adepts in the practice of devotion, which con- 
vinceth us that we are abroad, and maketh us to wish and 
sigh for our true and only home. 

8. Among the gods, there is none like unto thee, O Lord; 
neither are there any works like unto thy works. 

Another reason why application should be made to Jehovah, 
is his infinite superiority over all those that, by infatuated 
men, were ever called " gods." From the ancient idolatry, 
which taught adoration to the sun, moon, and stars, to the 
light and the air, we have been delivered by the gospel; 
nor do we any longer profess to worship Jupiter and the 
other heathen gods and goddesses : but do not many still 
trust in idols, and have they not, in effect, other objects of 
worship, from whose hands they expect their reward? Are 
not the hearts of the covetous, the ambitious, the voluptuous, 
so many temples of Mammon, or Plutus; of Jupiter, or 
Mars; of Bacchus, Comus, and Venus? But what are these 
deities, what is their power, and what are their gifts? What 
is the whole world, and all that is therein, when compared 
with its Maker and Redeemer ; what is it, when applied to, 
for the ease and comfort of a wounded spirit? — "Among 
the gods, there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are 
there any works like unto thy works!" 



360 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXVI 



9. All nations whom thou hast made, shall come and wor- 
ship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name. 

The Psalmist predicteth, that this superiority of Jehovah 
should one day be acknowledged throughout all the earth, 
when " neither in Jerusalem only, nor in the mount of the 
Samaritans," but in every place, " should men worship the 
Father; " John iv. 21. when he, who " made all nations" by 
his Son, should by that Son redeem all nations, bringing 
them from the world to the church, there to "worship before" 
the true God, and "in songs of praise to glorify his holy 
name." If in these our times, we behold the nations again 
falling away from God, departing from the purity of their 
faith, and leaving their first love, let us comfort ourselves 
with looking forward to that scene of things described by 
St. John, in which we hope to bear a part hereafter. — " I 
beheld, and lo, a multitude, which no man could number, of 
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood 
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white 
robes, and palms in their hands ; and cried with a loud voice, 
saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the 
throne, and unto the Lamb." — Rev. vii. 9. 

10. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou 
art God alone. 

"Great" is Jehovah in his power, in his wisdom, in his 
mercy; "wonderful" in the creation of the world, wonderful 
in the preservation and the government of it; wonderful in 
its redemption; wonderful in the incarnation, life, death, re- 
surrection, and ascension of Jesus, in the descent of the Spirit, 
the propagation of the gospel, the sufferings of saints, and 
the conversion of sinners ; most wonderful will he be, when 
he shall raise the dead, judge the world, condemn the wicked, 
and glorify the righteous. And then shall every tongue 
confess, " Thou art God alone." 

11. Teach me thy way, O Lord ; L will walk in thy 
truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 

It is the continual subject of the Mediator's intercession 
above, and of our prayers below, that we may be " taught the 
way of Jehovah," the way to life eternal, prepared for us, 
through faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus ; that, being 
so taught, we may likewise be enabled "to walk in the truth," 
without error in doctrine, or deviation from duty ; believing 
all things which God hath revealed, and doing whatsoever he 



DAY XVII. M. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



361 



hath commanded us ; that the affections of the " heart" may 
be withdrawn from other objects, and, being no longer divided 
between God and the world, become "united" in the filial 
"fear of his name," as the grand principle of action. 

12. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart : 
and I will glorify thy name for evermore. 13. For great is 
thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from 
the lowest hell. 

Gratitude for mercies already received, will obtain a conti- 
nuance and increase of those mercies. The church is never 
in so afflicted a state, but she hath still reason to intermingle 
hallelujahs with her hosannas, and, in the midst of her most 
fervent prayers, to " praise the Lord her God, with all her 
heart, and to glorify his name for evermore; " since, whatever 
she may suffer upon earth, (and even those sufferings will 
turn to her advantage,) "great,'' most undoubtedly, " hath 
his mercy been toward her, in delivering" her, by the resur- 
rection of Jesus, from the bondage of sin, the dominion of 
death, and the bottomless pit of " hell." 

14. O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assem- 
blies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not 
set thee before their eyes. 

From praises we return again to prayers. When Christ 
was upon earth, we know the treatment he met with from 
" proud and violent men, who had not set God before their 
eyes;" from self-righteous Jews, and conceited Gentiles, 
who rose up and took counsel together against him. What 
his church afterward suffered at the hands of the same 
enemies, is likewise well known. How much more she is to 
undergo in the latter days we know not as yet ; but this we 
do know, that the spirit of the world stands, now and ever, 
in opposition to the Spirit of God; its design is always the 
same, although its methods of working be divers. Nor can 
we be ignorant of those domestic adversaries, that assembly of 
haughty and turbulent passions, which are continually making 
insurrections, and destroying the peace of the soul. So that, 
either from without or from within, every one who is a Chris- 
tian in deed, shall be sure to have his portion of tribulation. 

15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and 
gracious: long-suffering, and plenteous in goodness and truth. 

Having taken a view of those that are against us, it is now 
time to look up to those that are with us. And can we have 



362 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXVI. 



better friends than all these gracious and favourable attri- 
butes of heaven? Can more comfortable and joyful tidings 
be brought us, than that God loveth us with a father's love ; 
that he is ready to pardon, slow to anger ; and that we have 
his truth pledged for the performance of his mercy? What 
a fountain of consolation is here opened for the afflicted 
Christian ! " Let him drink and forget his poverty, and 
remember his misery no more." — Prov. xxxi. 7. 

16. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy 
strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. 

On the consideration of the above-mentioned attributes, a 
petition is in this verse put up to God, that he would " turn" 
his face toward us ; that he would of his "mercy" pardon us, 
by his grace " strengthen" us, and by his power " save" us, 
from all our adversaries. Every Christian is the " servant" 
of God, and " the son of his handmaid," the church, which 
may say, in the same spirit of humility and obedience, with 
the blessed Virgin, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." 

17. Show me a token for good, that they which hate me 
may see it, and be ashamed ; because thou, Lord, hast holpen 
me, and comforted me. 

Many outward " signs" and " tokens" of the divine favour 
were in old time vouchsafed to patriarchs, prophets, and 
kings of Israel. The law itself was a collection of external 
and sacramental figures of grace and mercy. All these cen- 
tred and had their accomplishment in that grand and ever- 
lasting sign and token of God's love to man, the incarnation 
of Christ, which all faithful people from the beginning wished 
and prayed for. On this sign the Christian looks with joy, 
as the great proof that God has " holpen him and comforted 
him; " while his faith in it doth not fail, he hath the witness 
in himself, and his actions declare as much to all around 
him; " that they which hate him may be ashamed" and con- 
verted, before that day come, when shame shall be fruitless, 
and conversion impossible. 



DAY XVII. M. P.j ON THE PSALMS. 



363 



PSALM LXXXVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The prophet, 1 — 3. celebrates the stability and felicity of Sion; 4, 5. 
foretells the accession of the Gentiles to her, and 6. their enrolment 
among her citizens; 7. extols her as the fountain of grace and salvation. 
The Psalm was probably penned, on a survey of the city of David, just 
after the buildings of it were finished. 

1 . His foundation is in the holy mountains : or, It is his, 
i. e. God's foundation in the mountains of holiness /* 2. The 
Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of 
Jacob, 

The Psalmist, after having meditated on the strength, the 
beauty, and the glory of Jerusalem, being smitten with love 
of the holy city, and imagining the thoughts of his hearers, 
or readers, to have been employed on the same subject, 
breaks forth at once in this abrupt manner : — " It is His 
foundation on the holy mountains." By " the holy moun- 
tains," are meant those hills of Judea, which Jehovah had 
chosen, and separated to himself from all others, whereon to 
construct the highly favoured city and temple. As the 
dwellings of Jacob, in the promised land, were beloved by 
him more than the dwellings of other nations, so he " loved 
the gates of Sion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob." 
Jerusalem was exalted and fortified by its situation; but 
much more so by the protection of the Almighty. What 
Jerusalem was, the Christian church is; " built" by God "on 
the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ 
himself being the chief corner-stone ; in whom all the build- 
ing, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in 
the Lord." — Eph. ii. 20. " It is His foundation in the holy 
mountains; " she is beloved of God above the kingdoms and 
empires of the earth, which rise and fall only to fulfil the 
divine counsels concerning her. When those counsels shall 
be fulfilled, in the salvation of all believers, the world, which 
subsists only for their sake, will be at an end. 

* Some commentators suppose this verse to be a part of the title, which 
will then run thus : — " For the sons of Korah, a Psalm ; a song, when he 
laid the foundation on the holy mountains." 



364 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXVII. 



3. Glorious things are spoken of thee, thou city of God. 
As the prophet began, in a rapture, to speak of the holy 

city, so now, in fresh transport, he changes the person, and 
suddenly addresses himself to it. The Old Jerusalem was 
" the city of God, and glorious things were therefore said of 
it" by the Spirit. Pleasant for situation, and magnificent in 
its buildings, it was the delight of nations, the joy of the 
whole earth; there was the royal residence of the kings of 
Judah; there was the temple, and the ark, and the glory, 
and the King of heaven dwelling in the midst of her ; her 
streets were honoured with the footsteps of the Redeemer of 
men; there he preached and wrought his miracles; lived, 
died, and rose again; thither he sent down the Spirit, and 
there he first laid the foundations of his church. To know 
what "glorious things" are said of the New Jerusalem, the 
reader must peruse Isa. lx. and Rev. xxi. xxii. 

4. / will make mention of Rahab, or, Egypt, and Babylon, 
to them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with 
Ethiopia, or, Arabia, this man was born there. 5. And of 
Sion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her : 
and the Highest himself shall establish her. 

The accession of the nations to the church is generally 
supposed to be here predicted. God declares, by his prophet, 
" I will make mention of," or cause to be remembered, 
Egypt and Babylon," the old enemies of Israel, " to," or 
" among them that know me," that is, in the number of my 
worshippers; "Behold" also "Philistia, and Tyre, with 
Arabia;" these are become mine; " this," or each of these, 
"is bora there," i. e. in the city of God; they are become 
children of God, and citizens of Sion; so that " of Sion," or 
the church, " it shall be said, This and that man," Heb. 
" a man and a man,"* i. e. great numbers of men in succes- 
sion, " are born in her;" alluding to the multitudes of con- 

* Dr. Durell renders ttf>KT w»n "The man, even the man," that is, " the 
man of men; " or " the greatest of all men." The reduplication, he thinks, 
according to the oriental phraseology, must mean the superlative, or highest 
degree. He adds — According to this interpretation, every one will see 
who this eminent personage was to be, from whose birth Zion (used by a 
synecdoche for Judea) was to acquire so much glory. The latter hemis- 
tich — " And the Highest himself shall establish her" — seems to me to have 
reference, not to God the Father, but to his Son ; it appearing to be exe- 
getical of the preceding one, and to describe his divine, as the other does 
his human nature. — Critical Remarks, p. 167. 



DAY XVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



365 



verts under the gospel, the sons of that Jerusalem, " which 
is the mother of us all; " Gal. iv. 26. " and the Highest him- 
self shall establish her;" as he saith, "Upon this rock will 
I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it." — Matt. xvi. 18. 

6. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people, 
that this man was bom there. 

In the book of life, that register of heaven, kept by God 
himself, our names are entered, not as born of flesh and 
blood by the will of man, but as born of water and the Spirit 
by the will of God; of each person it is written, "that he 
was born there," in the church and city of God. That is the 
only birth which we ought to value ourselves upon, because 
that alone gives us our title to " the inheritance of the saints 
in light. In Jesus Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew, 
circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian," 
noble or ignoble, "bond or free; but Christ is all, and in 
all."_Col. iii. 11* 

7. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall 
he there; all my springs are in thee. 

The literal version of the words, as Dr. Chandler observes, 
seems to be — " Cantantes erunt, sicut choream ducentes : 
omnes fontes mei in te. They shall sing like those that lead 
up the dance," i. e. most joyfully; singing and dancing 
frequently accompanying one another. And the burden of 
the song, thus joyfully sung in praise of Sion, was to be this : 
— "All my springs," or fountains, " are in thee." And if 
such be indeed the incomparable excellence of the church, 
and such the benefits of her communion, as they have been 
set forth in the foregoing verses, what anthem better deserves 
to be performed by all her choirs? In thee, O Sion, is the 
fountain of salvation, and from thee are derived all those 
springs of grace, which flow by the divine appointment, 
while the world lasts, for the purification and refreshment 
of mankind upon earth. 

* Dr. Durell thinks the verse relates to the pedigree of our Lord, re- 
corded among the Jews, and given us by the Evangelists — " The Lord will 
have this recorded, in registering the people, that He," the tz^Ni t»*« 
mentioned above, " was born there." 



366 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXVIII. 



PSALM LXXXVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, as Mr. Mudge observes, may well be said to be composed, 
according to its title, mJtf 1 ? to create dejection, to raise a pensive gloom 
or melancholy in the mind; the whole subject of it being quite through- 
out heavy, and full of the most dismal complaints. The nature and 
degree of the sufferings related in it; the strength of the expressions 
used to describe them; the consent of ancient expositors; the appoint- 
ment of the Psalm by the church to be read on Good Friday; all these 
circumstances concur in directing an application of the whole to our 
blessed Lord. His unexampled sorrows, both in body and soul; his 
desertion in the day of trouble; his bitter passion, and approaching 
death; with his frequent and fervent prayers for the accomplishment 
of the promises, for the salvation of the church through him, and for 
the manifestation of God's glory; these are the particulars treated of 
in this instructive and most affecting composition.* 

1. O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and 
night before thee: 2. Let my 'prayer come before thee: incline 
thine ear unto my cry. 

We hear in these words the voice of our suffering Re- 
deemer. As man, he addresseth himself to his Father, " the 
Lord God of his salvation," from whom he expected, accord- 
ing to the promises, a joyful and triumphant resurrection; 
he pleadeth the fervency and importunity of his prayers, 
offered up continually, " day and night," during the time of 
his humiliation and sufferings; and he entreateth to be 
heard in these his supplications for his body mystical, as 
well as his body natural ; for himself, and for us all. 

3. For my soul is full of troubles; and my life draweth 
nigh to the grave. 

Is not this exactly parallel to what he said in the garden, 
" My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death? Full," 
indeed, " of troubles" was thy " soul," O Blessed Jesus in 
that dreadful hour, when under the united weight of our sins 
and sorrows, thou wert sinking into the " grave" in order to 

* Cum Psalmis xxii. et Ixix. ad omnia convenit Psalmus Ixxxviii. quod 
argumento est, eum eodem modo a nobis esse explicandum. Continet 
igitur pariter orationem Christi ad Patrem e cruce fusam. Auctor hujus 
Cantici non alium in finem illi titulum dedit VottfD " erudientis," quam ut 
Ecclesia posteriorum temporum ex eo disceret ultima hsec Messise fata. — 
Vitringa, Observat. Sacr. lib. ii. cap. ix. 



DAY XVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



367 



raise us out of it. Let us judge of thy love by thy suffer- 
ings, and of both by the impossibility of our fully com- 
prehending either. 

4. / am counted with them that go down into the pit; I 
am as a man that hath no strength. 

Next to the troubles of Christ's soul, are mentioned the 
disgrace and ignominy to which he submitted. He who was 
the fountain of immortality, he, from whom no one could 
take his life, who could in a moment have commanded twelve 
legions of angels to his aid, or have caused heaven and earth 
at a word speaking, to fly away before him, he was " counted 
with them that go down into the pit;" he died, to all ap- 
pearance, like the rest of mankind ; nay, he was forcibly put 
to death, as a malefactor; and seemed, in the hands of his 
executioners, "as a man that had no strength," no power, 
or might, to help and save himself. — " His strength went 
from him; he became weak, and like another man." The 
people shook their heads at him, saying, " He saved others, 
himself he cannot save." 

5. Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, 
whom thou rememberest no more; and they are cut off from 
thy hand. 

" Free among the dead;" that is, set at liberty, or dis- 
missed from the world, and separated from all communication 
with its affairs, as dead bodies are; " like" other "corpses 
that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more," i. e. 
as living objects of providence upon earth; in this sense, 
" they are cut off from God's hand," which held and sup- 
ported them in life. And in no other sense can these expres- 
sions be understood; since, to imagine that the Psalmist, 
who so often speaks in plain terms of the resurrection, 
should here, when personating Messiah, deny that doctrine, 
would be a conceit equally absurd and impious. 

6. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the 
deeps. 7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast 
afflicted me with all thy waves. 

The sufferings of Jesus are represented by his being 
plunged into a dark and horrible abyss, with the indignation 
of God, due to our sins, resting upon him, and all the waves 
of affliction rolling over him. The same image is used in 
Ps. lxix. and many other places. 

8. Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me : 



368 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXVTII. 



thou hast made me an abomination to them : I am shut up, 
and I cannot come forth. 

At the apprehension of Christ, " All his disciples forsook 
him and fled." — Matt. xxvi. 56. Peter denied and abjured 
his Master, as if his acquaintance had been a disgrace, and 
" an abomination: " at the crucifixion, it is observed by St. 
Luke, that " all his acquaintance stood afar off, beholding 
these things; " xxiii. 49. beholding the innocent victim envi- 
roned by his enemies, and at length "shut up" in the 
sepulchre. The day must come, when each person, who 
reads this, shall be forsaken by the whole world ; when rela- 
tions, friends, and acquaintance shall retire, unable to afford 
him any help and assistance; when he must die, and be 
confined in the prison of the grave, no more to " come forth," 
until that great Easter of the world, the general resurrection. 
In the solitary and awful hour of our departure hence, let 
us remember to think on the desertion, the death, the burial, 
and the resurrection of our Redeemer. 

9. Mine eye rnourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I 
have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands 
unto thee. 

This verse contains a reiteration of the complaint and 
prayer made at the beginning of the Psalm. These are 
some of the " strong cryings with tears," which, during the 
course of his intercessions for us upon earth, the Son of God 
poured forth "in the days of his flesh." — Heb. v. 7. 

10. Wilt thou show wonders to the dead 1 . Shall the dead 
rise and praise thee 1 11. Shall thy loving-kindness be de- 
clared in the grave, or thy faithfulness in destruction! 12. 
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark ? and thy righteous- 
ness in the land of forgetfulness ? 

It hath been sometimes thought, that these verses imply a 
denial, or at least a doubt, of the resurrection from the dead ; 
whereas they contain, in reality, the most powerful plea that 
Christ himself, in his prayers to the Father, could urge for 
it; namely, that, otherwise, man would be deprived of his 
salvation, and God of the glory thence accruing. — " Wilt 
thou show wonders to the dead," while they continue in that 
state; or, if thou shouldest, will they be sensible of those 
wonders, and make thee due returns of thankfulness? "Shall 
the dead rise up" in the congregation, "and praise thee?" 
Must they not live again to do that ? " Shall thy loving- 



DAY XVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



369 



kindness" to the sons " of Adam, in me their Redeemer, be 
declared," shall the gospel be preached, "in the grave?" 
"Or thy faithfulness," in accomplishing the promises con- 
cerning this loving-kindness, shall it be manifested "in that 
destruction" wrought by death upon the bodies of men ? — : 
" Shall thy wonders," the wonders of light, and life, and 
salvation, " be known in the dark" tomb? — "And thy 
righteousness," which characterizes all thy dispensations, 
shall it be remembered and proclaimed "in the land" of 
silence and " forgetfulness ? " A Christian upon the bed of 
sickness, may undoubtedly plead with God, in this manner, 
for a longer continuance of life, to glorify him here upon 
earth. But every respite of that kind can be only temporary. 
All men, sooner or later, must die ; and then they can never 
more experience the mercies, or sing the praises of God, 
unless they rise again. So that if the argument hold in one 
case, it certainly holdeth still stronger in the other. 

13. But unto thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morn- 
ing shall my prayer prevent me. 14. Lord, why easiest thou 
off my soul ? Why hidest thou thy face from me ? 

Since, therefore, the wonders, the loving-kindness, the 
faithfulness, and the righteousness of God cannot be mani- 
fested by man's redemption, if Messiah be left under the 
dominion of death, he redoubles his prayers for the promised 
deliverance ; and speaks of his redemption in the hour of 
sorrow, as in Ps. xxii, 1. — "My God, my God, why hast 
thou forsaken me?" &c. 

15. I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up : 
while L suffer thy terrors, I am distracted ; Heb. I am dis-< 
tressed, not knowing which way to turn myself* 16. Thy 
fierce wrath goeth over me, thy terrors have cut me off 
17. They came round about me daily like water ; they com- 
passed me about together. 

We are not to imagine that the holy Jesus suffered for us 
only at Gethsemane and on Mount Calvary. His whole life 
was one continued passion ; a scene of labour and sorrow, of 
contradiction and persecution ; "he was afflicted," as never 
man was, " from his youth up," from the hour of his birth, 
when, thrust out from the society of men, he made his bed in 

* Dominus ipsa de se, Ps. lxxxviii. 1 6. " Fero terrores tuos ; animi 
linquor." Loquitur de extremis suis angoribus, dolorobus. — Vitringa in 
Jesai. ii. 667. 

2 B 



370 A COMMENTARY [PS. LXXXVII!. 

the stable at Bethlehem ; he was "ready to die ; " a victim 
destined and prepared for that death, which by anticipation, 
he tasted of through life; he saw the flaming sword of 
God's " fierce wrath " waiting to "cut him off " from the 
land of the living ; the "terrors" of the Almighty set them- 
selves in array against him, threatening, like the moun- 
tainous waves of a tempestuous sea, to overwhelm his 
amazed soul. Let not the church be offended, or despond, 
but rather let her rejoice in her sufferings, by which, 
through every period of her existence, from youth to age, 
she "filleth up that which is behind of the afflictions of 
Christ," who suffers and will be glorified in his people, as 
he hath already suffered and been glorified for them. — 
See Col. i. 24. 

18. Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and 
mine acquaintance into darkness. 

It is mentioned again, as a most affecting circumstance of 
Christ's passion, that he was entirely forsaken, and left all 
alone in that dreadful day. The bitter cup was presented, 
filled to the brim, and he drank it off to the dregs. No man 
could share in those sufferings, by which all other men 
were to be redeemed. His " lovers and friends;" his dis- 
ciples and acquaintance, "were put far from him;" they 
all "forsook him, and fled," to hide themselves from the 
fury of the Jews, " in darkness, in dark, i. e. secret places." 
Thus it is written in the Psalms, and thus in the gospels it 
is recorded to have happened. Oftentimes, O blessed Jesu, 
do we forsake thee ; but do thou not forsake us, or take 
thy Holy Spirit from us. 



DAY XVII. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



37 J 



SEVENTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM LXXXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is appointed by the church to be read on Christmas-day. It 
celebrates, ver. 1 — 4. the mercies of God in Christ, promised to David ; 
5 — 13. the Almighty power of Jehovah, manifested in his works and 
dispensations ; 14. his justice, mercy, and truth; 15 — 18. the happiness 
and security of his people; 19 — 37. his covenant made with David, as 
the representative of Messiah, who should come of his seed ; 38 — 45. 
the church lamenteth her distressful state, at the time when this Psalm 
was penned ;* 46 — 51. she prayeth for the accomplishment of the pro- 
mise ; and, in the mean time, 52. blesseth Jehovah. 

1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my 
mouth ivill I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 

The " mercies of Jehovah " have ever employed the voices 
of believers to celebrate them. These mercies were pro- 
mises to the human race, in their great Representative and 
Surety, before the world began; 2 Tim. i. 9. Titus i. 2. they 
were prefigured by ancient dispensations ; and, in part, ful- 
filled at the incarnation of Christ. The " faithfulness " of 
God in so fulfilling them, is now "made known," by the 
holy services of the Christian church, "to all generations." 

2. For I have said, mercy shall be built up for ever ; thy 
faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. 

Whatever be at any time the state of the church on earth, 
she knoweth that the foundation of God standeth sure ; that 
the sacred edifice, raised thereon, will be incorruptible, and 
eternal as "heaven" itself, where only mercy and truth are 
to have their perfect work, in the everlasting felicity of the 
redeemed. Of this felicity, which is to be the consummation 
of God's promises, and our hopes, we behold some faint re- 
semblance, as often as we view the stability, the beauty, 
and the glory of the visible material "heavens." 

* Sedecia capto, domo David e solio deturbata, promissiones Dei irritas 
videri Propheta queritur, necdum adesse Christum. — Bossuet. Dr. Ken- 
nicott imagines it to have been composed by Isaiah, as a solemn and public 
address to God, at the time when Rezin and Pekah were advancing against 
Jerusalem. 

2 B 2 



372 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXIX. 



3. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn 
unto David my servant : 4. Thy seed will I establish for 
ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. 

The two former verses set forth a profession of faith in 
God's mercy ; these two assign the ground of such faith ; 
namely, the covenant which God is here introduced as de- 
claring that he had made with David, and which he did make 
with him by the prophet Nathan. — 2 Sam. vii. 12, &c. The 
covenant relates to David's "seed," and to the "establish- 
ment of his throne " in that seed ; literally, in Solomon, for a 
time, spiritually, in Christ, for ever. " When thy days shall 
be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set 
up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, 
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house 
for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom 
for ever. I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son." 
These last words are cited by the apostle, Heb. i. 5. as spoken 
of Christ, to evince his superiority over the angels. Yet, 
that the whole passage does, in the letter, relate to Solomon, 
can admit of no doubt, he being the "seed" and immediate 
"successor" of David, and the person appointed to "build 
an house for God's name." Here then we have an incon- 
testable proof, that the covenant with David had Messiah for 
its object ; that Solomon was a figure of him ; and that the 
scripture hath sometimes a double sense. * It is moreover to 
be observed, that the covenants made with Abraham, David, 
&c. all had their original and foundation in the covenant 
made with Messiah, who was the true Father of the faithful, 
the beloved and chosen of God ; the great Prophet, Priest, 
and King ; the only person qualified to be a Sponsor, and to 
engage in a covenant with the Father, for mankind. His 
sufferings were the price of our redemption : and, because he 
suffered in the flesh, as "the Son of David," therefore is 
he "established for ever, and his throne built up to all gene- 
rations." Remarkable are the words of the angel to Mary; 
"The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, 
and of his kingdom there shall be no end." — Luke i. 32. 

5. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord; thy 
faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints : Or, The 

* " Disposui testamentum : " percussi fcedus cum electo meo : id est 
Davide et Christo. — Bossuet. 



DAY XVII. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



373 



heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord; and the saints 
thy faithfulness in the congregation. 

Did not "the heavens praise the wonders of Jehovah," 
when a choir of angels descended from above to sing an 
anthem at the birth of Christ ? And how must the celestial 
courts have resounded with the hallelujahs of those blessed 
spirits, when they again received their King, returning in 
triumph from the conquest of his enemies ? Nor do " the 
saints" omit to celebrate God's "faithfulness in the congre- 
gation" upon earth, while, "with angels and archangels, 
and all the company of heaven, they laud and magnify his 
glorious name, evermore praising him and saying, Holy, 
holy, holy Lord God of hosts, Heaven and earth are full of 
thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High." 

6. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? 
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the 
Lord? 7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the 
saints ; and to be had in reverence of all them that are about 
him. 8. O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like 
unto thee ? Or to thy faithfulness round about thee ? Or, 
and thy faithfulness is round about thee. 

These verses proclaim that right and title which Jehovah 
hath to the praises of all his creatures in "heaven and earth." 
No one of them, however excellent and glorious, however 
deified and adored by fond and foolish man, can enter the 
lists and contest the superiority with its Maker. High over 
all is the throne of God : before him " angels" veil their 
faces, "saints" prostrate themselves with lowest reverence, 
and created nature trembles at his word : his " power" is 
almighty, and derived from none; and with "truth" he is 
on all sides invested as with a garment ; the former enables 
him, the latter (if we may so express it) binds him to per- 
form those gracious promises, which mercy prompted him 
to make concerning our eternal redemption. 

9. Thou rulest the raging of the sea : when the waves 
tJiereof arise, thou stillest them. 

The extent of the ocean, the multitude of its waves, and 
their fury, when excited by a storm, render it, in that state, 
the most tremendous object in nature ; nor doth any thing 
which man beholds give him so just an idea of human 
impotence, and of that divine power which can excite and 
calm so boisterous an element at pleasure. God himself, 



374 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXIX. 



therefore, frequently appeals to this instance of his omni- 
potence : see Job xxxviii. 11. Jer. v. 22. an attribute, of 
which our Lord showed himself to have been possessed, 
when, being with his disciples in the ship, he arose and 
rebuked a tempestuous wind and a raging sea, and there 
was instantly a calm. In all our troubles and temptations, 
be, thou blessed Jesu, with us, and then they shall never 
finally overwhelm us. 

10. Thou hast broken Rahab, i. e. Egypt, in pieces, as 
one that is slain : thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy 
strong arm. 

The destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians is here 
mentioned, as another instance of God's mighty power. 
And it is probable, that the foregoing verse was intended to 
allude more particularly to that miraculous exertion of Gods 
sovereignty over the waters, the division of the Red Sea, 
which happened at the same time; as these two events are 
generally spoken together. Thus Isaiah: — "Art thou not 
it that hath cut Rahab, i. e. Egypt, and wounded the dragon, 
i, e, Pharaoh ? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, 
the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of 
the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" li. 9. The 
same power which effected all this, hath since, in Christ 
Jesus, overcome the world, destroyed the works of the devil, 
and ransomed mankind from the depths of the grave. 

11. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine : as for 
the world, and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them, 
12. The north and the south, thou hast created them; Tabor 
and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. 

The " heavens," and all the glorious bodies there ranged 
in beautiful order; the " earth," with its rich furniture, and 
the unnumbered tribes of its inhabitants, through its whole 
extent, from "north to south," and from east to west; all 
these are so many evidences of that wisdom and power, which, 
at the beginning, contrived and formed them ; all, in their 
respective ways, declare the glory, and speak the praises of 
their great Creator; but chiefly the holy land, and the fruitful 
hills which adorned it. " Tabor " in one part, and " Hermon " 
in another, formerly seemed, as it were, to " rejoice " and 
sing for the abundant favours showered down upon them 
by the God of Israel, who hath since caused all nations no 
less to exult and triumph in his saving name. 



DAY XVII. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



375 



12. J^ow hast a mighty arm ; strong is thy hand, and 
high is thy right hand. 

The Psalmist, having produced and meditated on some 
eminent instances of divine power, draws this general con- 
clusion from the premises. Toward the Christian church 
"the arm of Jehovah" hath been revealed in a still more 
extraordinary manner. She reflected on the wonders 
wrought by Jesus ; a conquest over more formidable ene- 
mies than Pharaoh and his Egyptians ; a redemption from 
more cruel bondage ; salvation from sin and death ; a new 
creation, new heavens, and new earth ; a new Jerusalem, 
and a spiritual Sion. With additional conviction may she 
therefore exclaim — " Thou hast a mighty arm ; strong is 
thy hand, and high is thy right hand ! " 

14. Justice and judgment are the habitation, Heb. the 
establishment of thy throne : mercy and truth shall go before 
thy face. 

Although the power of God be infinite, yet it is never 
exerted, but under the direction of his other attributes. 
When he goeth, as a Judge, to his tribunal, " mercy and 
truth go before his face ; " they are represented as preceding 
him, to give notice of his advent, and to prepare his way. 
— "All the ways," or dispensations "of the Lord," as it is 
elsewhere observed, "are mercy and truth;" Ps. xxv. 10. 
they are the substance of all his revelations, which either 
promise salvation, or relate the performance of such pro- 
mises. By these is man warned and prepared for "judg- 
ment," which is to be the last and finishing scene. And 
when the great Judge of all the earth shall, from his throne, 
pronounce the irreversible sentence, not a creature then 
present shall be able to accuse that sentence of injustice. 
After this model should the thrones of princes, and the 
tribunals of earthly magistrates, be constituted in "justice 
and judgment," adorned with " mercy and truth." 

15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound : they 
shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. 

Next to the praises of Jehovah, is declared the happiness 
of those who have him for their God; "who know the joyful 
sound, or sound of the trumpet," by which the festivals of 
the Jewish church were proclaimed, and the people were 
called together to the offices of devotion ; who enjoy the 
"light" of truth, and, through grace, are enabled to "walk" 



376 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXXIX. 



therein. These blessings are now become our own ; the 
evangelical trumpet hath sounded through the once heathen 
world; the Sun of Righteousness has risen upon all nations. 
Let us attend to the "joyful sound;" let us "walk" in the 
glorious " light." 

16. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day : and in thy 
righteousness shall they be exalted. 17. For thou art the 
glory of their strength : and in thy favour our horn shall 
be exalted. 18. For the Lord is our defence ; and the Holy 
One of Israel is our King. 

It is the duty of Christians, as it was that of Israelites, to 
ascribe all their strength, their success, and their glory, 
whether in matters temporal or spiritual, to Jehovah alone. 
Having heard the sound, and experienced the illuminating 
and reviving influences of the gospel, in the name and in 
the salvation of God we rejoice all the day, and in his 
righteousness only we trust to be exalted to heaven : to 
him we attribute the glory of that strength with which, in 
time of temptation, we may find ourselves happily endued ; 
and in his favour, or grace, or horn, or the efforts of our 
power, shall be exalted, and crowned with victory ; our 
defence in all dangers is from Jehovah, who was ever the 
shield of his ancient people ; and the Holy One of Israel 
is our Redeemer and our King. 

19. Then thou spakest in vision to thy Holy One, and 
saidst, I have laid, or, placed help upon, or, in one that is 
mighty : I have exalted one chosen out of the people. 

The covenant made with David, was mentioned in general 
terms above, at ver. 4, 5. But a more particular account is 
now given of God's dispensations relative to the son of Jesse 
and his posterity. We are presented with the substance of 
the revelation made, upon this subject, " in vision," to one 
of the prophets, perhaps Samuel, or Nathan, here styled an 
" holy one," or religious person, one favoured and accepted 
by God, who is introduced as manifesting to this his prophet 
the divine counsels concerning David. — "I have placed 
help upon, or in one, who shall become an eminent and 
mighty Saviour of Israel ; from among all the people 1 
have chosen and determined to exalt him, for that purpose, 
to the throne." Thus was Messiah foretold, in prophetical 
visions and revelations, as the person designed to be the 
mighty Redeemer of his church ; thus, in the fulness of 



DAY XVII. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



377 



time, was he chosen from among all the children of men, 
and exalted, through sufferings, to an eternal throne. 

20. / have found David my servant : with my holy oil 
have I anointed him; 21. With whom my hand shall be 
established ; mine arm also shall strengthen him. 

David was the servant of God; he was, by the prophet 
Samuel, anointed with oil ; he was strengthened and esta- 
blished in his kingdom, by the hand and arm of Jehovah. 
But never let Christians fail, in this eminently figurative 
character, to contemplate that true David (for so he is called, 
Ezek. xxxiv. 23. xxxvii. 25.) the beloved Son of God ; " the 
servant and elect of Jehovah, in whom his soul delighted, 
and on whom he put his Spirit;" Isa. xlii. 1. whom he 
"anointed with his holy oil, with the oil of gladness, with the 
Holy Ghost, and with power;" Ps. xlv. 7. Acts x. 38. whom 
he strengthened, and established in his spiritual kingdom, 
with his hand, and arm, and the might of his omnipotence. 

22. The enemy shall not exact upon, or, deceive him : nor 
the son of wickedness afflict, or, subdue him. 23. And I will 
beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate 
him. 24. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with 
him : and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 

These promises were fulfilled to David, when God deli- 
vered him out of the hand of Saul, and of all his other 
adversaries. — See 2 Sam. xxii. 1. And in what a full, 
perfect, and divine sense were they verified to Christ ! That 
subtle enemy, " which deceiveth the whole world," was not 
able to deceive him ; neither the sons nor the father 
of wickedness could overthrow and subdue him ; all oppo- 
sition fell before him, and they who hated him suffered 
unparalleled desolation ; the promised faithfulness and 
mercy of Jehovah were ever with him, and his kingdom 
was exalted with glory and honour. 

25. / will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand 
in the rivers. 

The dominions of David and his son Solomon extended 
from the Mediterranean " Sea" to the " river" Euphrates, 
&c. the empire of Christ is universal, over Jews and Gen- 
tiles, throughout all the earth. — See Ps. Ixxii. 8, &c. 

26. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, 
and the rock of my salvation. 27. Also I will make him my 
first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. 

All this, if in some respects true of David, is much more 



378 



a' commentary 



[PS. LXXXJX. 



emphatically so of our Lord Jesus Christ. " Son of God " is 
one of his distinguished titles; of "the Father" he con- 
tinually spoke, and to the Father he addressed his prayers 
and cries, in the days of his flesh ; as man, he was raised 
and exalted by the power and glory of the Divinity ; he was 
" the first-born of every creature, the first-begotten from the 
dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth." — Col. i. 15. 
Rev. i. 5. Make us, blessed Lord, the sons of God, and teach 
us to cry, Abba, Father ; give us victory and dominion over 
sin and death, that we may live and reign with thee for ever. 

28. My mercy will I keep for, or, to him for evermore, 
and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29. His seed 
also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the 
clays of heaven. 

God kept his mercy and covenant with David, by pre- 
serving the line of his posterity; until his great antitype, 
Messiah, the subject of all the promises, came, by whom 
the kingdom was established for ever, being changed into 
a spiritual one, which is to be transferred from earth to 
heaven, and rendered coeval with those eternal mansions of 
the blessed. 

30. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my 
judgments ; 31. If they break, or, profane my statutes, and 
keep not my commandments ; 32. Then will I visit their 
transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 
33. Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take 
from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34. My cove- 
nant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of 
my lips. 

The posterity of David were to enjoy God's favour, or be 
deprived of it, as they proved obedient or disobedient to 
his "law ;" as they executed or perverted its civil "judg- 
ments ; " as they observed or neglected its ceremonial "sta- 
tutes," or religious institutions ; as they kept or broke its 
" commandments," or moral precepts. When they became 
rebellious, idolatrous, and profligate, the rod was lifted up, 
and due chastisement inflicted, sometimes by the immediate 
hand of heaven, sometimes by the instrumentality of their 
heathen adversaries ; famine and pestilence, war and cap- 
tivity, were at different times employed to reclaim back- 
sliding Israel. But still, the "covenant" of God in Christ 
stood sure ; the Jewish nation was preserved, through all 
changes and revolutions, " until the Seed came to whom the 



DAY XVII. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



379 



promise was made;" nor was Jerusalem destroyed, before 
the new and spiritual kingdom of Messiah was set up in the 
earth. Christian communities, and the individuals that com- 
pose them, are in like manner corrected and punished for 
their offences. " Nevertheless, God's loving-kindness will 
he not utterly take from us, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail. 
His covenant will he not break, nor alter the thing that is 
gone out of his lips." So — " I am with you always," says 
the Redeemer, "even to the end of the world: and the gates 
of hell shall not prevail against my church." — Matt, xxviii. 
20. xxvi. 18. Nor shall the world be destroyed until Christ 
come again, and his glorious kingdom be ready to appear. 

35. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie 
unto David. 36. His seed shall endure for ever, and his 
throne as the sun before me. 37. It shall be established for 
ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. 

The promise, covenant, and oath of God, which he de- 
clared! shall never fail, are here repeated. They relate to 
Christ, that " Seed," or "Son of David," who " endureth 
for ever." His throne is resplendent as the "sun," and shall 
continue, after that luminary is extinguished : his church is 
permanent as the "moon," though, like her, subject to vicis- 
situdes, and liable, for a time, to be obscured by eclipses, 
during her present state upon earth. And while the rainbow 
shall be seen in the clouds, man has a "faithful witness in 
heaven" of the immutable truth of God's word, and the in- 
fallible accomplishment of what he promises. " Look upon 
the rainbow," saith the wise son of Sirach, " and praise him 
who made it : very beautiful it is in the brightness thereof : it 
compasseth the heaven about with a glorious circle, and the 
hands of the Most High have bended it." — Ecclus. xliii. 11. 
But let us not forget likewise, when we look upon the rain- 
bow, to praise him, who made it to be a sign and sacred 
symbol of mercy ; in which capacity we behold it, to our 
great and endless comfort, compassing the throne of Christ 
with a gracious as well as glorious circle. " There was a 
rainbow round about the throne." — Rev. iv. 3. Ezek. i. 28. 

38. But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been 
wroth with thine anointed. 39. Thou hast made void the 
covenant of thy servant : thou hast profaned his crown, by 
casting it to the ground. 

In the former part of our Psalm, we have seen what the 



380 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. LXXX1X. 



divine promises were, which had been made to the house of 
David. By the latter part, upon which we are entering, it 
appears, that the Psalm was written at a time, when the 
church of Israel was in such a manner oppressed and re- 
duced by her enemies, that her members began almost to 
despair of those promises receiving their accomplishment. 
God seemed to have "cast off" and " abhorred" his 
" anointed " and " servant," that is, David, or rather the 
prince of his family, who was upon the throne, when this 
captivity and desolation happened; the "covenant" se'emed 
to be overturned and "made void," when the "crown" of 
Israel was defiled in the dust. 

40. Thou hast broken clown all his hedges, thou hast brought 
his strong holds to ruin. 41. All that pass by the way spoil 
him ; he is a reproach to his neighbours. 42. Thou hast set 
np the right hand of his adversaries : thou hast made all his 
enemies to rejoice. 43. Thou hast also turned the edge of his 
sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle. 44. Thou 
hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the 
ground. 45. The days of his youth hast thou shortened : thou 
hast covered him with shame. 

The manifold calamities of Sion are in these verses enu- 
merated : — The demolition of fences and fortifications ; the 
cruel ravages consequent thereupon ; the shame of defeats ; 
the reproaches and insults of victorious adversaries ; the 
dishonours of violent and untimely death. In days like 
these here described, when the church and the king are 
permitted to fall into the hands of those who hate them, 
and to drink thus deeply of the cup of affliction, distrust 
and despondency are apt to seize upon the minds of men. 
Nay, when the faithful few beheld the true "Son of David," 
and "Anointed" of Jehovah, in the day of his sufferings; 
when they saw him, without help or defence, " spoiled and 
reproached by his neighbours;" when they viewed "the 
right hand of his adversaries set up," and all his " enemies 
rejoicing" over him; his "glory made to cease," and 
his " crown profaned in the dust ; the days of his youth 
shortened," and himself delivered over to a "shameful" as 
well as painful death ; they then began to think " the 
covenant made void," and the promises at an end. "We 
trusted," said they, " that it had been he who should have 
redeemed Israel ! " — Luke xxiv. 2 1 And although Christ be 



DAY XVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



381 



long* since risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven, yet 
the prevalence of iniquity, and the oppressions of the church, 
have been, and, in the last days, will be such, as to put the 
faith and hope of his servants to a sore trial, while they wait 
for his second, as the ancient Jews did for his first advent. 

46. How long, Lord? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever? 
Shall thi/ wrath burn likefrel 47. Remember how short my 
time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain ? Or, as 
Ainsworth translates the verse, Remember how transitory I 
am, unto what vanity thou hast created all the sons of Adam. 
48. What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death ? 
Shall he deliver his soul, or, animal frame, from the hand of 
the gravel 49. Lord, where are thy former loving-Kindnesses, 
which thou swarest unto David in thy truth ? 

This is the humble and dutiful expostulation of the church 
with God, in all her distresses upon the earth. By asking, 
" How long, Lord ? Wilt thou be angry for ever? " she tacitly 
pleadeth his promise not to be so ; she urgeth the shortness 
of man's life here below, the universality of the fatal sen- 
tence, the impossibility of avoiding death, and, if nothing 
farther was to happen, the frustration of the divine counsels 
concerning man. From thence she entreateth God to re- 
member the "loving-kindnesses" once promised by him 
with an oath to David, as related in the former part of the 
Psalm. These "loving-kindnesses" are called, in Isa. lv. 3. 
u the sure mercies of David; " which "sure mercies of David" 
are affirmed by St. Paul, Acts xiii. 34. to have been then 
conferred on Israel, when, in the person of Jesus, God raised 
our nature from the grave. To a resurrection, therefore, 
believers have ever aspired; thither have they directed their 
wishes, and on that event have they fixed their hopes, as the 
end of temporal sorrows, and the beginning of eternal joys. 

50. Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how / 
do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people ; 
51. Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord ; 
wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed. 

The last argument urged by the church, in her expostula- 
tion with God for a speedy redemption, is, the continual re- 
proach to which she was subject, on account of the promise 
being delayed. The "mighty people," or heathen nations, 
who held her in captivity, and were witnesses of her wretched 
and forlorn estate, ridiculed her pretensions to perpetuity of 



382 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. xc. 



empire in the house of David ; they blasphemed the God 
who was said to have made such promises ; and "reproached 
the footsteps," or mocked at the tardy advent of his Messiah.* 
who was to establish in Israel his everlasting throne. All 
these cruel taunts and insults she was obliged to "bear in her 
bosom," and thereto suppress them in silence, having nothing 
to answer in the day of her calamity, and seeming destitu- 
tion. St. Peter gives us a like account of the state of the 
Christian church in the latter days : he exhorts us to be 
" mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy 
prophets, and of the commandments of the apostles of the 
Lord and Saviour, because there shall come in the last days 
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is 
the promise of his coming?" — 2 Pet. iii. 4. 

52. Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen. 

But whatever be at any time our distress, either as a com- 
munity, or as individuals, still are we to believe, still to hope, 
still to bless and praise Jehovah, whose word is true, whose 
works are faithful, whose chastisements are mercies, and all 
whose promises are, in Christ Jesus, yea, and amen, for 
evermore. 



EIGHTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XC. 

ARGUMENT. 

Tliis Psalm is called, in its title, " A prayer of Moses, the Man of God." 
By him it is imagined to have been composed, when God shortened the 
days of the murmuring Israelites in the wilderness. — See Numb. xiv. It 
is, however, a Psalm of general use, and is made, by the church, a part 
of her funeral service. It containeth, 1,2. an address to the eternal 
and unchangeable God, the Saviour and preserver of his people ; 3 — 10. 
a most affecting description of man's mortal and transitory state on earth 
since the fall; 11. a complaint, that few meditate in such a manner 
upon death, as to prepare themselves for it; 12. a prayer for grace so to 
do; 13 — 17. and for the mercies of redemption. 

1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all gene- 
rations. 2. Before the mountains were brought forth , or 

* " Exprobraverunt vestigia Christi tui :" tarditatem vestigiorum Christi 
tui. Chald. Irridebant nos qu6d non adveniret expectatus ille Liberator, 
sive Cyrus, sive potius Christus de semine Davidis, regno ejus instaurando 
et in seternum firmando. — Bossuet. 



DAY XVIII. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



383 



ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world: even from 
everlasting to everlasting thou art God. 

The Psalmist, about to describe man's fleeting and transi- 
tory state, first directeth us to contemplate the unchangeable 
nature and attributes of God, who hath always been a "dwell- 
ing-place," or place of defence and refuge, affording protec- 
tion and comfort to his people in the world, as he promised 
to be before the world began, and will, in a more glorious 
manner, continue to be, after its dissolution. — See, for a paral- 
lel, Ps. cii. 25, &c. with St. Paul's application, Heb. i. 10. 

3. Thou turnest man to destruction ; and sayest, Return, 
ye children of men. 

Death was the penalty inflicted on man for sin. The latter 
part of the verse alludes to the fatal sentence, Gen. iii. 19. 
" Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." How apt 
are we to forget both our original and our end ! 

4. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday 
when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 

The connexion between the verse preceding and the verse 
now before us, seems to be this : — God sentenced man to 
death. It is true, the execution of the sentence was at first 
deferred, and the term of human life suffered to extend to 
near a thousand years. But what was even that — what is 
any period of time, or time itself, if compared with the dura- 
tion of the Eternal ? All time is equal, when it is past ; a 
thousand years, when gone, are forgotten as yesterday; and 
the longest life of man, to a person who looks back upon 
it, may appear only as three hours, or one quarter of the 
night. 

5. Thou carriest them away as with a flood, they are as a 
sleep in the morning ; they are like grass which groweth up; 
or, as grass that changeth. 6. In the morning it flourisheth 
and groweth up ; in the evening it is cut down, and wither eth. 

The shortness of life, and the suddenness of our departure 
hence, are illustrated by three similitudes. The first is that 
of a "flood," or torrent pouring unexpectedly and impetu- 
ously from the mountains, and sweeping all before it in an 
instant. The second is that of " sleep," from which, when a 
man awaketh, he thinketh the time passed in it to have been 
nothing. In the third similitude, man is compared to the 
" grass " of the field. In the morning of youth, fair and beau- 
tiful, he groweth up and flourisheth ; in the evening of old 



384 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XC. 



age (and how often before that evening !) he is cut down by 
the stroke of death ; all his juices, the circulation of which 
he stood indebted for life, health, and strength, are dried 
up ; he withereth, and turneth again to his earth. " Surely 
all flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the 
flower of the field ! " — Isa. xl. 6. Of this truth, the word 
of God, the voice of nature, and daily experience, join to 
assure us : yet who ordereth his life and conversation, as if 
he believed it ? 

7. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath 
are we troubled. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee ; 
our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 

The generations of men are troubled and consumed by 
divers diseases and sundry kinds of death, through the dis- 
pleasure of God ; his displeasure is occasioned by their sins, 
all of which he seeth and punisheth. If Moses wrote this 
Psalm, the provocations and chastisements of Israel are 
here alluded to. But the case of the Israelites in the 
wilderness, is the case of Christians in the world ; and the 
same thing is true, both in them and in us. 

9. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath, we 
spend our years as a tale that is told. 

Life is compared to a " tale " that is told and forgotten ; 
to a "word," which is but air, or breath, and vanisheth into 
nothing, as soon as spoken ; or, perhaps, as the original 
generally signifies, to a "meditation, a thought," which is 
of a nature still more fleeting and transient. 

10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten, 
and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is 
their strength labour and sorrow : for it is soon cut off, and 
we fly away. 

This again might be primarily spoken by Moses, con- 
cerning Israel. The generation of those who came out of 
Egypt, from twenty years old and upwards, fell within the 
space of forty years, in the wilderness ; Numb. xxiv. 29. and 
they who lived longest, experienced only labour and sorrow, 
until they were cut off, like grass, and, by the breath of God's 
displeasure, blown away from the face of the earth. Like 
the Israelites, we have been brought out of Egypt, and sojourn 
in the wilderness ; like them we murmur, and offend God our 
Saviour; like them we fall, and perish. To the age of seventy 
years few of us can hope to attain ; labour and sorrow are 



DAY XVIII. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



385 



our portion in the worJd : we are mowed down, as this 
year's grass of the field ; we fly away, and are no more 
seen in the land of the living. 

11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger ? Even accord- 
ing to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 

Houbigant renders the verse thus : — " Quis novit vim irse 
tuse ; et, prout terribilis es, furorem tuum ?" — "Who know- 
eth,". or considereth, " the power of thine anger; and thy 
wrath, in proportion as thou art terrible V That is, in other 
words, Notwithstanding all the manifestations of God's 
indignation against sin, which introduced death and every 
other calamity among men, who is there that knoweth. who 
that duly considereth and layeth to heart the almighty 
power of that indignation ; who that is induced, by behold- 
ing the mortality of his neighbours, to prepare himself for 
his own departure hence ? Such holy consideration is the 
gift of God, from whom the Psalmist, in the next verse, 
clirecteth us to request it. 

12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply 
our hearts unto wisdom. 

He who " numbereth his days," or taketh a right account 
of the shortness of this present life, compared with the un- 
numbered ages of that eternity which is future, will soon 
become a proficient in the school of true wisdom. He will 
learn to give the preference where it is due ; to do good, and 
sufferevil upon earth, expecting the reward of both in heaven. 
Make us wise, blessed Lord, but wise unto salvation. 

13. Return, O Lord, how long! And let it repent thee 
concerning, or, be propitiated toward thy servants. 

During the reign of death over poor mankind, God is re- 
presented as absent; he is therefore by the faithful entreated 
to " return," and to satisfy their longing desires after salva- 
tion ; to hasten the day when Messiah should make a " pro- 
pitiation" for sin, when he should redeem his servants from 
death, and ransom them from the power of the grave. The 
Christian, who knoweth that his Lord is risen indeed, looks 
forward to the resurrection of the just, when death shall be 
finally swallowed up in victory. 

14. O satisfy us early, or, in the morning with thy mercy : 
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days, 15. Make us 
glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, 
and the years wherein we have seen evil. 

2 c 



386 A COMMENTARY [PS. XC. 

The church pray eth for the dawning of that glorious morn- 
ing, when every cloud shall vanish at the rising of the Sun of 
Righteousness, and night and darkness shall be no more. 
Then only shall we be " satisfied, or saturated with the 
mercy " of Jehovah ; then only shall we " rejoice and be glad 
all our days." The time of our pilgrimage upon earth is a 
time of sorrow ; we grieve for our departed friends ; and our 
surviving friends must soon grieve for us; these are, "the 
days wherein God afflicteth us, those the years wherein we 
see evil ;" but he will hereafter " make us glad according to 
them ;" in proportion to our sufferings, if rightly we bear 
those sufferings, will be our reward ; nay, " these light 
afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Then shall 
our joy be increased, and receive an additional relish, from 
the remembrance of our former sorrow ; then shall we bless 
the days and the years which exercised our faith, and per- 
fected our patience ; and then shall we bless God, who 
chastised us for a season, that he might save us for ever. 

16. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory 
unto their children. 17. And let the beauty of the Lord our 
God be upon us ; and establish thou the work of our hands 
upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. 

The redemption of man is that " work" of God, whereby 
his "glory" is manifested to all generations, and which all 
generations do therefore long to behold accomplished. For 
this purpose, the faithful beseech God to let his " beauty," 
his splendour, the light of his countenance, his grace and 
favour, be upon them : "to establish the work of their 
hands," to bless, prosper, and perfect them in their Chris- 
tian course and warfare ; until, through him, they shall be 
enabled to subdue sin, and triumph over death. 



DAY XVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



387 



PSALM XCI. 

ARGUMENT. 

The prophet, 1 — 10. declareth the security of the righteous man under the 
care and protection of heaven, in times of danger, when, 11, 12. a guard 
of cingels is set about him. 13. His final victory over the enemies of his 
salvation is foretold ; and, 14 — 16. God himself is introduced, promis- 
ing him deliverance, exaltation, glory, and immortality. The Psalm is 
addressed, primarily, to Messiah. That it relateth to him, Jews and 
Christians are agreed; and the devil, Matt. iv. 6. cited two verses from 
it, as universally known and allowed to have been spoken of him. 

1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, 
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2. / ivill say 
of the Lord, He is my ref uge and my fortress : my God, in 
him will I trust. 3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the 
snare of the fowler, and from the noisome 'pestilence. 

In these verses, as they now stand, there is much obscu- 
rity and confusion. Bishop Lowth, in his 26th Lecture, 
seemeth to have given their true construction. " He who 
dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High ; who abideth 
under the shadow of the Almighty ; who saith of the Lord, 
He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I will 
trust ; " — leaving the sentence thus imperfect, the Psalmist 
maketh a beautiful apostrophe to that person whom he has 
been describing — " Surely he shall deliver thee from the 
snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence." The 
description is eminently applicable to the man Christ 
Jesus.* He is represented as dwelling, like the ark in the 
Holy of Holies, under the immediate "shadow" and pro- 
tection of the Almighty, who was his " refuge and fortress" 
against the open attacks of his enemies ; his preserver from 
the " snares" of the devil, and from the universal contagion 
of sin, that spiritual " pestilence." In all dangers, whether 
spiritual or corporeal, the members of Christ's mystical 
body may reflect with comfort, that they are under the 
same Almighty Protector. 

4. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings 
shalt thou trust : his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 

* Ode Davidica insignis xci agit directe et primo loco de tegmine et 
defensione quam Deus Christo Jesu Doctori et apostolis ipsius prsestaret. 
— Vitringa, Comment. Jesai. ii. 565. 

2 c 2 



388 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxr. 



The security afforded, by a superintending Providence, 
to those who trust therein, is here, with the utmost beauty 
and elegance, compared to that shelter which the young of 
birds are always sure to find under the " wings" of their 
dam, when fear causeth them to fly thither for refuge. — See 
Deut. xxxii. 11. Matt, xxiii. 37. The "truth" of God's word, 
wherein he promiseth to be our defence, is, to a believer, 
his " shield and buckler," in the day of battle and war. 

5. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ; nor 
for the arrow that fiieth by day : 6. Nor for the 'pestilence 
that walketh in darkness : nor for the destruction that 
wasteth at noon day. 

How much man standeth in need of the above-mentioned 
protection of heaven, appeareth from a survey of the dangers 
to which he is continually exposed. Various are the terrors 
of the night : manifold the perils of the day; from diseases, 
whose infection maketh its progress unobserved ; from 
assaults, casualties, and accidents, which can neither be fore- 
seen, nor guarded against. The soul hath likewise her ene- 
mies, ready to attack and surprise her at all hours. Avarice 
and ambition are abroad watching for her in the day, while 
concupiscence, like a pestilence, "walketh in darkness." In 
adversity, she is disturbed by terrors ; in prosperity, still 
more endangered by pleasures. But Jesus Christ has over- 
come the world, to prevent us from being overcome by it. 

7. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at 
thy right hand : but it shall not come nigh thee. 

The promise has oftentimes, in a wonderful manner, been 
verified to those faithful servants of God, whom the pesti- 
lence itself hath not deterred from doing the duties of their 
station. The Bishop, and some of the intendants of Mar- 
seilles, who continued to perform their respective offices, 
during the whole time of the plague there, in 1720, are 
signal and well known instances. Sin is a pestilence, the 
contagion of which no son of Adam ever escaped, but the 
blessed Jesus. He stood alone untouched by its venom ; 
thousands and ten thousands, all the myriads of mankind, 
fell around him ; " but it did not come nigh Him." Heal us 
of this our distemper, O thou Physician of souls, and let it 
not prove our everlasting destruction ; "stand," like thy 
representative of old, " between the dead and the living, 
and let the plague be stayed." — Numb. xvi. 47, 48. 



DAY XVIII. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



389 



8. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the 
reward of the wicked. 

The meaning is, that the righteous person, all along spoken 
of, himself secure from the judgments of God, should in 
safety behold the destruction wrought by them upon impeni- 
tent and incorrigible sinners. This will be the case with 
the church, as well as her glorious Head, at the last day. 

9. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, 
even the Most High thy habitation : 10. There shall no evil 
befall thee, neither shall any 'plague come nigh thy dwelling. 

The sentiment in these verses is evidently the same with 
that in verses 5, 6. namely, that God preserveth such as trust 
in him, after the pattern of the holy Jesus, from those evils, 
and from that perdition, which are reserved for the ungodly. 
Dr. Durell translates the 9th verse, in the way of apostro- 
phe, literally thus — " Surely, thou, O Lord, art my refuge ; 
O Most High, thou hast fixed thine habitation;" i. e. in Sion, 
to be the protector of his servant. 

1 1 . For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways. 12. They shall bear thee up in their 
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

This passage was cited by the devil, who tempted our 
Lord to cast himself from a pinnacle of the temple, upon 
presumption of the promise here made, that angels should 
guard and support him in all dangers. But Christ, in his 
answer, at once detecteth and exposeth the sophistry of the 
grand deceiver, by showing, that the promise belonged only 
to those who fell unavoidably into danger, in the course of 
duty ; such might hope for the help and protection of 
heaven ; but he who should wantonly and absurdly throw 
himself into peril, merely to try whether Providence would 
bring him out of it, must expect to perish for his pains. 
"Jesus saith unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not 
tempt the Lord thy God." — Matt. iv. 7. 

13. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder ; the young 
lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under thy feet. 

The fury and the venom of our spiritual enemies are often 
in scripture portrayed by the natural qualities of "lions and 
serpents." Messiah's complete victory over those enemies 
seemeth here to be predicted. Through grace, he maketh us 
more than conquerors in our conflicts with the same adver- 
saries. " The God of peace," saith St. Paul, " shall bruise 



390 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XCI. 



Satan under your feet shortly." — Rom. xvi. 20. And it is 
observable, that when the seventy disciples return to Christ 
with joy, saying, " Lord, even the devils are subject unto 
us through thy name ;•" he answers, in the metaphorical 
language of our Psalm, — " Behold, I give unto you power 
to tread on scorpions and serpents, and over all the power 
of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 
Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are 
subject unto you," &c. — Luke x. 17. Give us, O Lord, 
courage to resist the "lion's" rage, and wisdom to elude 
the wiles of the "serpent." 

14. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I 
deliver him : I will set him on high, because he hath known 
my name. 15. He shall call upon me, and I will answer 
him ; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him, and 
honour, or, gionfy him. 16. With long life will I satisfy 
him, and show him my salvation. 

In the former part of our Psalm, the prophet had spoken 
in his own person ; here God himself is plainly introduced 
as the speaker. And, O how sweet, how delightful and 
comfortable are his words, addressed eminently to his be- 
loved Son Messiah ; and in him to all of us, his adopted 
children, and the heirs of eternal life ; to all who love God, 
and have "known his name !" To such are promised an 
answer to their prayers ; the presence of their heavenly 
Father with them ; in the day of trouble, protection and 
deliverance ; salvation, and honour, and glory, and immor- 
tality. All these promises have already been made good to 
our gracious Head and Representative. His prayers have 
been heard ; his sufferings are over ; he is risen and as- 
cended ; and behold, he liveth and reigneth for evermore. 
Swift fly the intermediate years, and rise that long expected 
morning, when he, who is gone " to prepare a place for us, 
shall come again, and take us to himself, that where he is 
we may be also !" 



DAY XVI II. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



39J 



PSALM XCII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The title of this Psalm is, " A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath-day." It 
teacheth, 1 — 5. the duty, time, and manner of giving thanks for the 
works and dispensations of God. — Thoughtless men are admonished, 
6. to reflect upon the final issue of all these works and dispensations ; 
namely, 7 — 9. the utter perdition of the ungodly, and, 10 — 14. the ex- 
altation of the church in Christ Jesus, 15. to the praise and glory of 
God Most High. 

1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to 
sing praises unto thy name, O Most High : 2. To show 
forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithful- 
ness every night : 3. Upon an instrument of ten strings, 
and upon the psaltery ; upon the harp with a solemn sound. 

" Thanksgiving" is the duty, and ought to be the delight 
of a Christian. It is his duty, as being the least return he 
can make to his great Benefactor : it ought to be his delight, 
for it is that of angels, and will be that of every grateful 
heart, whether in heaven or on earth. The " mercy " of God 
in promising salvation, and his "faithfulness" in accom- 
plishing it, are inexhaustible subjects for " morning and 
evening" praises; every instrument should be strung, and 
every voice tuned to celebrate them, until day and night 
come to an end. But more especially should this be done 
on the "sabbath" day; which, when so employed, affords 
a lively resemblance of that eternal sabbath, to be hereafter 
kept by the redeemed, in the kingdom of God. 

4. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work : 
I will triumph in the ivorks of thy hands. 

A prospect of creation, in the vernal season, fallen as it is, 
inspires the mind with a joy, which no words can express. 
But how doth the regenerate soul exult and triumph at 
beholding that "work of God's hand," whereby he hath 
created all things anew in Christ Jesus ! If we can be 
pleased with such a world as this, where sin and death have 
fixed their habitation, shall we not much rather admire those 
other heavens, and that other earth, wherein dwell right- 
eousness and life ? What are we to think of the palace, 
since even the prison is not without its charms ! 



392 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCil. 



5. O Lord, how great are thy works ! and thy thoughts- 
are very deep. 5. A brutish man knoweth not; neither 
doth a fool understand this. 

Glorious are the works, profound the counsels, marvellous 
the dispensations of God, in nature, in providence, in grace. 
But all are lost to the man void of spiritual discernment ; 
who, like his fellow " brutes," is bowed down to earth, and 
knoweth no pleasures but those of sense. Here he hath 
chosen his paradise, and set up his tabernacle : not consi- 
dering that his tabernacle must shortly be taken down, and 
he must remove hence for ever. 

7. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all 
the workers of iniquity do flourish ; it is that they shall be 
destroyed for ever. 8. But thou, Lord, art most high for 
evermore. 

It is not improbable, that these verses should be connected 
with that preceding, thus — " A brutish man knoweth not ; 
neither doth a fool understand this ;" namely, that " When 
the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of 
iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for 
ever;" they are only nourishing themselves like senseless 
cattle in plentiful pastures, for the approaching day of 
slaughter. He who is ignorant of the final issue of things, 
who attendeth not to his eternal interest, he is, in scripture 
language, " the brutish man," and the " fool," who knoweth 
not the works, neither understandeth the designs of heaven. 
When the "grass" hath attained to its most flourishing estate, 
and all the flowers of the field are in perfect beauty, then 
the mower entereth with his scythe. What a beautiful and 
instructive emblem is here held forth to us ; what a forcible 
admonition to trust only in him, who, without " variableness 
or shadow of turning," is " most high for evermore !" 

9. For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, lo, thine enemies shall 
perish : all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 10. But 
my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn : 1 
shall be, or, / am anointed with fresh oil. 

The "workers of iniquity" are the "enemies of Jehovah," 
and will be " scattered " by the breath of his displeasure, as 
grass, after it is cut down, dried up, and withered, is driven 
away by the whirlwinds of heaven. " But my horn," saith 
the Psalmist, (it is likely, in the person of Messiah,) " my 
horn," that is, the strength and power of my kingdom, "shalt 



DAY XVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSAL1V1S. 393 

thou exalt like the horn of the unicorn/'* like the power of 
the strongest creatures, to which that of states and empires 
is often compared; "I shall be," or, " I am anointed with 
fresh oil I am appointed and consecrated king by the holy 
unction. Christians have " an unction from the Holy One," 
by which they are enabled to subdue their spiritual enemies ; 
they reign over their passions and affections ; they are ex- 
alted in the Redeemer ; they are " made unto their God 
kings and priests." — 1 John ii. 20. Rev. v. 10. 

1 1 . Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies : 
and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise 
up against me. 

The words, "my desire," are twice inserted by our 
translators. But would it not be better, if we were to sup- 
ply the ellipsis in this manner ? " Mine eyes shall behold 
the fall of mine enemies ; and mine ear shall hear the de- 
struction of the wicked, that rise up against me." The 
sense of the verse is plain. It is intended to express an 
assurance of faith, an humble confidence in the promises 
of God, that our efforts shall at length be crowned with 
victory over every thing which resisteth, and opposeth 
itself ; and that the day is coming, when we shall view all 
the enemies of our salvation dead at our feet. 

12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree : he 
shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 

The momentary prosperity of the wicked was compared 
above to the transient verdure of " grass." The durable 
felicity of the righteous is here likened to the lasting strength 
and beauty of " palms" and "cedars." But chiefly is the 
comparison applicable to that Just One, the King of Right- 
eousness, and Tree of Life ; eminent and upright ; ever 
verdant and fragrant; under the greatest pressure and weight 
of suffering, still ascending toward heaven; affording both 
fruit and protection ; incorruptible and immortal. " I sat 
down," saith the Church, " under his shadow with great 
delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." — Cant. ii. 3. 

13. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall 
flourish in the courts of our God. 

Believers are styled by Isaiah, " Trees of righteousness, 
the planting of Jehovah." — Chap. lxi. 3. They are planted 

* Heb. onK An eastern animal of the " stag" or " deer" kind, remark- 
able for its height, strength, and fierceness. 



394 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XCII. 



by the living waters of comfort, "in the house of God;" 
where, under the means of grace, they " flourish " in hope of 
glory ; " fenced and enclosed by the discipline and orders of 
the church, and by the consequent favour and protection of 
heaven ; their verdure is conspicuous, and ever constant, 
whether in the summer of prosperity, or the winter of ad- 
versity : their actions and principles are ever upright and 
fair ; yea, their very leaf exhales a delightful perfume, by 
an holy example and conversation ; their affections and 
desires are ever ascending toward the noblest and most 
sublime objects, the things that are above, the glorious 
things of heaven."* 

14. They shall still bring forth fruit i?i old age : they 
shall be fat and flourishing. 

Happy the man whose goodness is always progressive, 
and whose virtues increase with his years ; who loseth not, 
in the multiplicity of worldly cares or pleasures, the holy 
fervours of his first love, but goeth on burning and shining 
more and more, to the end of his days. The church, like 
her representative Sarah, is now "well stricken in years;" 
but we hope that, like her, she will " still bring forth fruit 
in her old age ;" we look for many more " children of pro- 
mise " to be born unto Christ, both from among the Jews 
and Gentiles. 

15. To show that the Lord is upright : he is my rock, and 
there is no unrighteousness in him. 

The fruit brought forth in the church redounds to the 
glory of God, by whom the trees, in this his new paradise, 
were planted ; it shows to all the world, that he is just and 
" upright" in his dealings ; that he is true to his promises ; 
immovable, as a " rock," in his counsels ; determined to 
punish the wicked, and to reward the good ; so that when 
his proceedings shall come to be unfolded at the last day, it 
will appear to men and angels, that " there is no unright- 
eousness in him." 

* Essay on the Proper Lessons, by Mr. Wogan, vol. iii. p. 49. 



DAY XVIII. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



395 



EIGHTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XCIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Jews acknowledge, that the kingdom of Messiah is prophesied of in 
this Psalm, and in all those which follow, to the hundredth. 1, 2. The 
church celebrates the majesty, power, and glory of the eternal King ; 
3. describes the danger she is often in from persecutions, &c. but, 4. 
strengthened herself in God her Saviour, whose house, 5. ought to be, 
like herself, full of truth and holiness. 

1. The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty, the Lord 
is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself : 
the world also is established, that it cannot be moved. 

From the beginning, God as Creator, was sovereign Lord 
of the universe. He was also formerly, in a more especial 
manner, King of Israel. But since that time, a new and 
spiritual kingdom hath been erected by Jesus Christ, as 
Redeemer, whom the church now celebrates, and whose 
praises she sings continually. Risen from the dead, and 
ascended into heaven, the Lord Jesus reigneth, and shall 
reign, "till he hath put all enemies under his feet." — 1 Cor. 
xv. 25. " By the glorification of his human nature, he is 
" clothed with majesty : all power is given unto him in 
heaven and in earth;" Matt, xxviii. 18. so that he is 
" girded with strength ;" and, through that strength, he 
hath " established " the new " world," that is to say, his 
church, that it " cannot be moved," or subverted by all the 
powers of earth and hell. 

2. Thy throne is established of old : thou art from ever- 
lasting. 

Earthly thrones are temporary ; they are set up, and cast 
down again, neither is any trust to be reposed in them. 
But the throne of Christ is eternal and unchangeable. Con- 
stituted before the foundation of the world, it is to endure 
when no traces of such a system having once existed shall 
any more be found. 

3. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted 
up their voice ; the floods lift up their waves. 4. The Lord 



396 



A COMMENTARY 



r PS. XCIII. 



on high is mightier than the noise of many waters; yea, than 
the mighti/ waves of the sea. 

In the first of these verses, the church appears like a ship 
in a stormy sea, to which she is often compared. Persecu- 
tions and afflictions are those " floods," those "waves" of 
this troublesome world, which threaten every moment to 
overwhelm and sink her. With a fearful and desponding 
tone of voice, therefore, she crieth out, " the floods have 
lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice ; the 
floods lift up their waves :" But immediately she strength- 
ened and comforteth herself in the Lord her God : " The 
Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, 
yea, than the mighty waves of the sea :" He can say to 
sorrows and temptations, as he doth to the waters of the 
ocean, u Peace, be still ; hitherto shall ye come, but no 
farther;" and his word is endued with equal power, in 
both cases. 

5. Thy testimonies are very sure : holiness becometh thine 
house, O Lord, for ever. 

God's "testimonies" are the promises made in scripture 
to the church, that he will be with her, during the afflictions 
which befall her here below, and will, in time, deliver her 
out of all her troubles. These " testimonies are very sure 
these promises do not, they cannot fail. " Holiness " there- 
fore, which consisteth in obedience and patience, "be- 
cometh," is the proper ornament, grace, and beauty of "his 
house," and of Christians, those living stones that compose 
it. Sacred and inviolable is the word of our King ; sacred 
and inviolable should be the loyalty of his subjects. 



DAY XVIII. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



397 



PSALM XCJV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist, complaining of corrupt and troublous times, in the person 
of the church, 1 — 4. prayeth for the downfall of prosperous wickedness ; 
5,6. he describeth the cruelty, and, 7 — ll.reproveth the atheistical 
folly of those who persecute God's people; 12, 13. he extolleth the 
blessedness of the persecuted, if they are endued with faith and patience, 
inasmuch as, 14, 15. the divine promise and their future reward are 
certain; he therefore, 16 — 19. throweth himself wholly upon God, 
whose mercies never fail, who, 20, 21. cannot be on the side of iniquity, 
but, 22, 23. will preserve his saints, and destroy their enemies. 

1. O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth ; O God to 
whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. 2. Lift up thyself 
thou Judge of the earth : render a reward to the 'proud. 

The church, however unjustly oppressed and afflicted, 
remembereth that " vengeance belongeth " not to her, had 
she the power to inflict it, but "to God" only, who hath 
said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." — Rom. xii. 19. To 
him, therefore, she maketh her supplication, that he would 
manifest his glory in her salvation ; that he would ascend 
the tribunal, as "judge of the earth," try her cause, and 
avenge her of her insolent and cruel persecutors. 

3. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the 
wicked ti^iumph ? 4. How long shall they utter and speak 
hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? 

The "triumphs" of wickedness, the "hard speeches," 
taunts, and scoffs of infidelity against Christ, and all who 
. belong to him, are a continual grief of heart to the faithful 
in the world, who desire nothing so much as to see the em- 
pire of sin at an end, and the kingdom of righteousness 
established. But for this great event they must wait with 
patience, until the time appointed by the Father, when the 
iniquities of the world and the sufferings of the church shall 
be full. " I saw under the altar," saith the well-beloved 
John, " the souls of them that were slain for the word of 
God, and for the testimony which they held. And they 
cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy 
and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them 
that dwell on the earth ? And white robes were given unto 
every one of them, and it was said unto them, that they 



398 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCIV, 



should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants 
also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, 
should be fulfilled."— Rev. vi. 9, &c. 

5. They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict 
thine heritage. 6. They slay the widow, and stranger, and 
murder the fatherless. 

Some instances of cruelty, exercised by the enemies 
against the "people and heritage" of God, are here speci- 
fied. "Widows, strangers, and orphans" are destitute of 
the help and protection afforded by husbands, friends, and 
fathers. Christ is become an husband to the church, a fa- 
ther to her children, and the only friend to both in time of 
need. Else were we all in the state of strangers and orphans, 
exposed, with our widowed mother, to the unrelenting 
malice and fury of the great oppressor and murderer. 

7. Yet they say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the 
God of Jacob regard it. 8. Understand, ye brutish among 
the people ; and ye fools, when will ye be wise ? 9. He that 
planted the ear, shall he not hear ? He that formed the eye, 
shall he not see ? 10. He that chastiseth the heathen, shall 
not he correct ? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not 
he know ? Or, He that instructeth the nations, shall not he 
rebuke ; even he that teacheth man knowledge ? 

The Psalmist informeth us, that men are encouraged in 
their injustice and villany by a persuasion, that God doth 
not behold or regard what they do to his people. The ab- 
surdity of such a conceit is shown from these considerations ; 
that it is God who bestoweth on man the powers of seeing 
and hearing, and therefore that he himself must needs be 
possessed of those powers in the highest perfection ; that it 
is God who hath instructed the world, by his revelations, in 
religious knowledge, and, consequently, without all doubt, 
he cannot be ignorant of the use and abuse which men make 
of that, his unspeakable gift. 

1 1 . The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they 
are vanity. 

So far is God from being a stranger to the actions, that he 
is privy to the first "thoughts" of men, from whence those 
actions flow; he is acquainted with all their counsels against 
his church, and knoweth them to be as vain as the imagina- 
tion that he is ignorant of them. The wicked can no more 
escape the hand, than they can elude the eye, of heaven. 



DAY XVIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



399 



12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, or, instruct- 
est, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law: 13. That 
thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until 
the 'pit be digged for the wicked. 

Since, therefore, the schemes of the adversary are vain, 
and the counsel of Jehovah shall infallibly stand, happy is 
the man, who, having learned, from the scriptures of truth, 
the lessons of faith and patience, enjoys tranquillity of mind 
in time of trouble, while destruction is preparing for the 
impenitent. Then, when " the days of adversity" are over, 
shall pain and sorrow take a final leave of the righteous, to 
go and dwell with the wicked, to eternal ages. The former 
shall enter into the rest and joy of their Lord, the latter into 
the fire prepared originally for the devil and his angels. 

14. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will 
he forsake his inheritance. 15. But judgment shall return 
unto righteousness : and all the upright in heart shall follow it. 

The faith and patience of the saints are built upon the 
foundation of God's promise not to " cast off and forsake," 
however he may chasten and correct, his " people and in- 
heritance." At a fit time, " judgment shall return to right- 
eousness," which it might seem to have forsaken; iniquitous 
oppressors shall meet with the punishment they have 
deserved, and the faithful shall experience the promised 
redemption. For thus Dr. Hammond renders and expounds 
the last clause of the two verses under consideration — "And 
after this," i.e. after "judgment" shall have "returned to 
righteousness, all the upright in heart e. it shall be their 
time ; they shall succeed and flourish. Such were those 
halcyon days enjoyed by the Jews, after the fall of Babylon, 
and their return to their own land ; such those times of 
refreshment to the church Christian, when the pagan per- 
secutions were at an end, and the Roman empire became 
Christian. Far transcendent is the felicity of a soul, when 
it exchanges the miseries of the world for the delights of 
paradise, there to wait, with its sister spirits, until the bodies 
of saints shall pass from the dishonours of the grave to the 
glories of immortality. 

16. Who will rise up for me against the evil doers ? Or 
who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity ? 
17. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost 
dwelt in silence. 



400 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCIV. 



But, in the mean season, while " evil-doers " are permitted 
to prosper, and the workers of iniquity" carry on their 
designs, the prophet asks, in the person of the church, who 
is there that will or can protect, defend, and deliver ? The 
answer is, God only can do it : — " Unless the Lord had been 
my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence," or, I had 
almost been in the state of death. How often have our 
spiritual enemies arisen against us, threatining to bring us 
into a state of eternal death, but the Lord Jesus was our 
help and our salvation. 

18. When I said, my foot slippeth : thy mercy, O Lord, 
held me up. 

When the child of God, walking in the slippery paths of 
life, findeth himself falling into temptation, if he confesseth 
his inability to stand his ground, and crieth out, like Peter 
on the water, to his heavenly Father, " Lord, save me, I 
perish ;" a merciful, gracious, and powerful hand will imme- 
diately be stretched out, to support his steps, and establish 
his goings. 

19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy com- 
forts delight my soul. 

The excellent Norris, in a masterly sermon on this verse, 
has given us the following elegant and affecting paraphrase 
of it — "When my mind sallies out into a multitude of thoughts, 
and those thoughts make me sad and heavy, anxious and 
solicitous, as presenting to my view my own weakness and 
infirmity, and the universal vanity of all those seeming props 
and stays, upon which my deluded soul was apt to lean ; the 
many great calamities of life, and the much greater terrors 
of death; the known miseries of the present state, and the 
darkness and uncertainty of the future ; still urging me with 
fresh arguments of sorrow, and opening new and new scenes 
of melancholy, till my soul begins to faint and sink under 
the burden she has laid upon herself : when I am thus 
thoughtful and thus sorrowful, then it is, O my God, that I 
feel the relief of thy divine refreshments; I find myself sup- 
ported and borne up by the strong tide of thy consolations, 
which raise my drooping head, strike a light into my soul, 
and make me not only dismiss, but even forget that sorrow 
and melancholy, which my thoughtfulness had brought upon 
me." Who, that reads this, will not thankfully take and 
follow the advice offered in another part of the same dis- 



DAY XVIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



401 



course ? " Whenever, therefore, thoughts arise in thy heart, 
and troubles from those thoughts ; when thy mind is dark 
and cloudy, and all the regions of the soul are overcast ; 
then betake thyself to thy oratory, either to thy closet, or 
the church, and there entertain thy soul with the pleasures 
of religion, and the satisfactions of a clear conscience." — ■ 
See Norris's Practical Discourses, vol. iii. serm. iv. 

20. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, 
which frameth mischief by a law ? 

One consideration, which affordeth comfort to the faithful 
under persecution and affliction, is this, that God can never 
be on the side of oppression and injustice, though to answer 
wise and salutary purposes, he may, for a time, suffer them to 
have the dominion, and to establish iniquity by law. A dis- 
tinction there certainly must be between right and wrong; 
and the former must as certainly triumph, at the last day. 

21. They gather themselves together against the soul of 
the' righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 

Righteousness and innocence are most atrocious crimes 
in the eyes of wickedness and guilt. For these crimes, Cain 
slew his brother Abel, the Jews crucified Christ, the Pagans 
tortured and murdered his disciples, and bad men, in all ages, 
have persecuted the good. " Marvel not, my brethren, if 
the world hate you." — 1 John iii. 13. 

22. But the Lord is my defence: and my God is the rock 
of my refuge. 23. And he shall bring upon them their own 
iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness ; yea, 
the Lord our God shall cut them off. 

Jehovah is our " defence;" we fear not the fiery darts of 
the enemy; He is " the rock of our refuge; " we bid defiance 
to the rage and malice of earth and hell. Armed with the 
shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, we rise superior 
to every effort of diabolical malice, and secular power ; wait- 
ing, in patience and hope, for the coming of that day, when 
He, who hateth unrighteousness, and with whom the throne 
of iniquity can have no fellowship, shall visit the wickedness 
of the wicked upon them; when the world of the ungodly 
shall share the fate of apostate Jerusalem, and the righteous 
shall be glorified with their Lord and Saviour. 



2 r> 



402 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCV 



NINETEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM XCV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm hath been long used in the Christian church, as a proper intro- 
duction to her holy services. It containeth, 1, 2. an exhortation to 
praise Jehovah, 3. for his greatness, 4, 5. and for his works of creation; 
6. men invited to worship him, as their Maker, and, 7. as their Pre- 
server; 8 — 11. they are warned against tempting and provoking him, 
by the example of the Israelites in the wilderness. The author of the 
epistle to the Hebrews hath taught us to consider the Psalm as an 
address to believers under the gospel. 

1. O come, let us sing unto the Lord : let us make a joy- 
ful noise to the rock of our salvation. 

In this first verse, Christians now exhort and stir up each 
other, as the Jews did of old, to employ their voices in 
honour of Jehovah, to celebrate "the rock of their salvation." 
Jesus, by redeeming us from our enemies, hath opened our 
lips, and our mouths ought, therefore, to show forth his 
praise. He is the Rock of ages, in which is opened a foun- 
tain for sin and uncleanness; the Rock which attends the 
church in the wilderness, pouring forth the water of life, for 
her use and comfort ; the Rock which is our fortress against 
every enemy, shadowing and refreshing a weary land. — 
" O come, then, let us sing unto this our Lord, let us make 
a joyful noise unto this rock of our salvation." 

2. Let us co?ne before his presence with thanksgiving, and 
make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms. 

The " presence" of Jehovah dwelt formerly between the 
cherubim in a tabernacle, or temple, made with hands, whi- 
ther the Israelites were to resort, until God became manifest 
in the flesh. After that time, the divine presence left the 
synagogue, and removed into the Christian church; by her 
we are now invited to " come before that presence with 
thanksgiving," and, while we "make a joyful noise," by 
chanting these divine "Psalms," to imitate, in some mea- 
sure, the heavenly choirs, who " rest not," from their blessed 
employment of praising God, " day or night." — Rev. iv. 8. 

3. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above 
all gods. 



DAY XIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 403 

It is not without reason, that we are exhorted to give 
thanks and praise unto our God and King; for he is " worthy 
to receive glory and blessing:" Rev. v. 12. he is a God 
above all that are called by that name ; above those deities, 
which were once worshipped by the ancient heathen ; above 
the world, which still continues to be an object of adoration 
among infatuated mortals. His throne is over all, and 
power and dominion are his. 

4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth; the 
strength of the hills is his also. 5. The sea is his, and he 
made it : and his hands formed the dry land. 

The treasures, which lie hid in the " deep places" of the 
earth beneath ; the majestic pride and " strength of the hills," 
which tower above, and lift up their heads to heaven; the 
unnumbered waves of the great and wide " sea," which roll 
in perpetual motion round the world; the rich and variegated 
produce of the "dry land," crowned with verdure and 
beauty ; together with every thing that liveth, in the waters, 
or on the earth; all are under the government of our God; 
by him were all things created; by him have all things 
been redeemed. 

6. O come, let us worship, and bow down: let us kneel 
before the Lord our Maker. 

As in the beginning of the Psalm we were called upon to 
" praise" Jehovah, so here we are invited to humble our- 
selves before him in " prayer." From him we had our being; 
him, therefore, we are to supplicate for every other blessing, 
both in this life and that which is to come. And since he 
made our bodies, as well as our souls, it is meet and right 
that they should bear their part in his service, and that 
internal worship should be accompanied and signified by 
that which is external. 

7. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, 
and the sheep of his hand. 

An additional reason, why we should both praise Jehovah, 
and pray to him, is the peculiar relation into which he hath 
been pleased to put himself by the covenant of grace; " he 
is our God; " we are the objects of his tender care, and un- 
speakable love; we are his " people," and his "sheep;" his 
chosen flock, which he hath purchased with his blood, which 
he feeds with his Word, and refreshes with his Spirit, in fair 
and pleasant pastures. From those pastures, O thou good 

2 d2 



404 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. xcv. 



Shepherd, suffer us not to stray ; or, if we do stray, bring us 
speedily back again, by any means, which thou, in thine 
infinite wisdom, shalt think fit. Wholesome is the discipline, 
which drives us into the fold, and keeps us there. 

8. To-day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your 
hearts, as in the provocation, and as in the day of tempta- 
tion in the wilderness. 9. When your fathers tempted me, 
proved me, and saw my work. 

The first clause of these two verses may be joined to the 
preceding verse, thus — " He is our God, we are the people 
of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand, if ye will hear his 
voice to-day;" that is, if ye will be his obedient people, he 
will continue to be your God. Or else, the word tran- 
lated " if," may be rendered in the optative form. — " O that 
you would hear his voice to-day," saying unto you, " Harden 
not," &c. However this be, what follows, to the end of the 
Psalm, is undoubtedly spoken in the person of God him- 
self, who may be considered as addressing us, in these latter 
days, by the gospel of his Son ; for so the apostle teaches us 
to apply the whole passage, Heb. iii. iv. The Israelites, 
when they came out of Egypt, had a day of probation, and 
a promised Rest to succeed it; but by unbelief and disobe- 
dience, they to whom it was promised, that is, the generation 
of those who came out of Egypt, fell short of it, and died in 
the wilderness. The gospel, in like manner, offers, both to 
Jew and Gentile, another day of probation in this world, and 
another promised Rest to succeed it, which remaineth for 
the people of God in heaven. All whom it concerns are, 
therefore, exhorted to beware, lest they forfeit the second 
Rest, as murmuring and rebellious Israel came short of the 
first. The verses now before us allude to what passed at 
the place called "Massah,"and "Meribah," from the people 
there " tempting and striving" with their God, notwith- 
standing all the mighty works which he had wrought for 
them before their eyes. — Exod xvii. 7. 

10. Forty years long was I grieved, or, disgusted with 
this generation, and said, it is a people that do err in their 
hearts, and they have not Ten/own my ways. 

O the desperate presumption of man, that he should offend 
his Maker " forty years ! " O the patience and long-suffering 
of his Maker, that he should allow him forty years to offend 
in; Sin begins in the " heart," by its desires " wandering" 



DAY XIX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



405 



and going astray after forbidden objects;- whence follows 
inattention to the " ways" of God; to his dispensations, and 
our own duty. Lust in the heart, like vapour in the stomach, 
soon affects the head, and clouds the understanding. 

11. Unto whom I sware in my wrath , that they should 
not enter into my rest. 

Exclusion from Canaan was the punishment of Israelitish 
contumacy ; exclusion from heaven is to be the punishment 
of disobedience among Christians. To take vengeance on 
those who reject the gospel terms, is no less a part of the 
covenant and oath of God, than it is to save and glorify those 
who accept them. Yet men continue deliberately to commit 
those sins which the Almighty standeth thus engaged to 
punish with destruction? * "Take heed, therefore, brethren, 
lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in 
departing from the living God. But exhort one another 
daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened 
through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers 
of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast 
unto the end; while it is said, To-day, if ye will hear his 
voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. For 
some, when they had heard, did provoke; howbeit not all 
that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he 
grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, 
whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware 
he, that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that 
believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because 
of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being 
made us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem 
to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, 
as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit 
them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." — 
Heb. iii. 12, &c. 

* Sensus hujus loci ex Paulo sic concinnandus : nempe requiem a Deo 
Israelites esse promissam in terra Channansea: omnes tamen interim in 
deserto cecidisse hac requie frustratos: quare Spiritum Sanctum per 
Davidem ad novam requiem invitasse; ad novum illud sabbatum ab ipso 
mundi exordio diei septimee requie figuratum, novumque indixisse diem quo 
sub Christo, in Ecclesia, ac cselesti patri& quiesceremus, nisi essemus 
increduli: unde sic concludit Paulus: " Festinemus ingredi in illam 
requiem." — Bossuet. 



406 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCVI 



PSALM XCVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

By common consent of Jews and Christians, we apply this Psalm to the 
times of Messiah. 1 — 4. Men are exhorted to sing his praises; to de- 
clare his salvation; 4, 5. to acknowledge his supremacy over the gods 
of the nations, with, 6. the glory and beauty of his sanctuary; 7 — 9. to 
give him the honour, the worship, and the obedience due unto him, and, 
10. to publish the glad tidings of his kingdom being established : 1 1 — 13. 
the whole creation is called upon to rejoice at this great event. We 
find, by 1 Chron. xvi. that David delivered out this Psalm, to be sung 
on occasion of temporal blessings, preflgurative' of future spiritual ones. 

1. O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, 
all the earth. 

Jehovah, our Redeemer, is the person whose praises are to 
be sung. They are to be sung in a " new" song; a song cal- 
culated to celebrate new mercies, prefigured by old ones 
wrought for Israel in former times ; a song fit for the voices 
of renewed and regenerate men to sing in the New Jeru- 
salem, in those new heavens and that new earth, which con- 
stitute the new creation, or kingdom of Jesus Christ. And 
as the mercies of God are universal, extending themselves 
not only to the Jews, but to all the nations of the earth, all 
the nations of the earth are therefore exhorted to bear a part 
in this new song; " Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing 
unto the Lord, all the earth." Thus St. John, after reckoning 
up the 144,000, or full number of those who were sealed to 
salvation from among the tribes of Israel, proceeds to tell 
us, that he " beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no 
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, 
and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, 
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." All 
these sung a new song, which none could learn but the re- 
deemed; they " cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation 
to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb." 
— See Rev. v. vii. xiv. 

2. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name: show forth his sal- 
vation from day to day. 

Again are we excited to sing unto the Lord Jesus, and, in 
psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, to bless his saving 
name. The latter clause of the verse is very expressive in 



DAY XIX, M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



407 



the original, TT£Q " preach, " or evangelize his salvation 
from day to day;" let it be the constant theme of all your 
discourses ; publish it to the world in every possible way, 
by your words, and by your actions ; and while God allows 
you breath and life, let one day transmit the glorious em- 
ployment to another, until it be resumed and continued in 
heaven, to all eternity. 

3. Declare his glory among the heathen; his wonders 
among all people. 

The " glory" of Messiah in his incarnation, his life, his 
death, resurrection, ascension, and kingdom; the " wonders," 
or miracles, by him wrought upon the bodies and souls of 
men : these were the things " declared among the heathen," 
even "among all people," by the apostles and their suc- 
cessors ; these things are still declared, by the scriptures 
read, and sermons preached in the church, which was 
gathered originally from among the Gentiles. 

4. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised: he is 
to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the 
nations are idols: or, things of nought, but it is the Lord 
that made the heavens. 

Christ is to be celebrated, his glory and wonders are to be 
declared, because he is, in every possible sense, " great;" 
great in dignity, in power, in mercy; and, therefore, "greatly 
to be praised" by every creature. The heavens and heavenly 
bodies adored by the nations, were no gods, but the works of 
" his" hands, who had fixed his everlasting throne high above 
them all. At the publication of the gospel, idolatry fell 
before it; and what is the world itself, but one great idol, 
which is to fall and disappear in like manner? 

6. Honour and majesty are before him; strength and 
beauty are in his sanctuary. 

What are the splendour and magnificence of earthly courts, 
when compared with that glory and majesty, the unutterable 
brightness of which fills the court of the heavenly King? 
Some portion of this celestial light is communicated, through 
grace, to the Christian church, which is described by St. 
John, under images borrowed from the figurative sanctuary, 
and the earthly Jerusalem, as an edifice composed of gold 
and precious stones, illuminated by the glory of God and 
the Lamb, residing in the midst of it. — See Rev. xxi. 

7. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds, or, families, or, 



408 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. xc \ r. 



tribes of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 
8. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; bring 
an offering, and come into his courts. 9. O worship the 
Lord in the beauty of holiness : fear before him all the earth. 

In these three verses, the tribes of the spiritual Israel are 
enj oined to ascribe to their Redeemer ' ' all glory and strength, ' ' 
as essentially inherent in him, and by him communicated to 
his people; to give him the entire " glory of his name," and 
of that "salvation" imported by it; to bring the "sacrifices" 
of the new law, and to assemble in the " courts" of his house ; 
to worship him in that "beauty of holiness," which is con- 
stituted by the regular and solemn services of the church ; 
to " fear" and obey him, as the subjects of a King invested 
with plenitude of power in heaven and earth. 

10. Say among the heathen, that the Lord reigneth : the 
world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he 
shall judge the people righteously. 

In other words — Make proclamation, therefore, O ye 
apostles and preachers of the gospel, that a new and eternal 
kingdom is erected ; the usurped empire of Satan is over- 
thrown, and the Lord Jesus, having redeemed mankind, 
reigneth in the hearts of his people by faith ; a community 
is formed, not upon the plan of secular policy, but upon the 
divine principle of heavenly love; it is established on im- 
movable foundations, nor shall the gates of hell prevail 
against it ; righteousness shall dwell in it, since He, who is 
the King of Righteousness, presides, directs, and determines 
all things, by his Word, and his Spirit. 

11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad ; let 
the sea roar, and the fulness thereof : 12. Let the field be 
joyful, and all that is in it : then shall all the trees of the 
wood rejoice before the Lord. 

Transported with a view of these grand events, and be- 
holding in spirit the advent of King Messiah, the Psalmist 
exults in most jubilant and triumphant strains, calling the 
whole creation to break forth into joy, and to celebrate the 
glories of redemption. The heavens, with the innumerable 
orbs fixed in them, which, while they roll and shine, declare 
the glory of beatified saints; the earth, which, made fertile 
by celestial influences, showeth the work of grace on the 
hearts of men here below ; the field, which, crowned with a 
produce of an hundred fold, displayeth an emblem of the 



DAY XIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



409 



fruit yielded by the seed of the Word in the church; the 
trees of the wood, lofty, verdant, and diffuse, apt representa- 
tives of holy persons, those " trees of righteousness, the 
planting of Jehovah," Isa. lxi. 3. whose examples are 
eminent, fair, and extensive ; all these are, by the prophet, 
excited to join in a chorus of thanksgiving to the Maker 
and Redeemer of the world. 

13. For he cometh, for he comet h to judge the earth; he 
shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with 
his truth. 

The coming of Christ is two -fold; first, he came to sanc- 
tify the creature, and he will come again to glorify it. 
Either of his kingdoms, that of grace, or that of glory, may 
be signified by his "judging the world in righteousness and 
truth." If creation be represented, as rejoicing at the esta- 
blishment of the former, how much greater will the joy be at 
the approach of the latter, seeing that notwithstanding 
Christ be long since come in the flesh, though he be ascended 
into heaven, and have sent the Spirit from thence, yet " the 
whole creation," as the apostle speaks, Rom. viii. 22. 
" groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, expect- 
ing to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the 
glorious liberty of the sons of God. And not only they, but 
ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even 
we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adop- 
tion, to wit, the redemption of the body ;" when, at the 
renovation of all things, man, new made, shall return to the 
days of his youth, to begin an immortal spring, and be for 
ever young. 



PSALM XCVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, 1. the reign of Christ is again celebrated, and the nations 
are again called to rejoice on that account. 2 — 7. He is described as 
taking vengeance on his enemies, overthrowing idolatry in the heathen 
world, commanding adoration from all creatures, and 8, 9. inspiring- 
gladness into the church, by subduing her enemies. 10 — 12. The 
duties of holiness, thankfulness, and religious joy, are inculcated. 

1. The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice: let the mul- 
titude of the isles be glad thereof 



410 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCVII. 



Triumphant over death and hell, the Lord Jesus is gone up 
on high, and " reigneth." What greater cause can the whole 
earth have to " rejoice; " yea, even the most distant isles of 
the Gentiles, to "be glad," and to sing for joy; since they 
are all become his subjects, and share the unspeakable bless- 
ings of so gracious a reign. We Britons, as inhabiting one 
of those heathen isles, and enjoying so fair a portion of evan- 
gelical blessings, have reason to repeat this verse, with a 
particular pleasure and energy. The Hebrews called by the 
name of " isles," D^N, not only countries surrounded by the 
sea, but all the countries which the sea divided from them ; 
so that the term became synonymous with " Gentiles." 
Thus, it is said, Isa. xlii. 4. — " The isles shall wait for his 
law; " which passage, Matt. xii. 21. is expounded as follows, 
" In him shall the Gentiles trust." 

2. Clouds and darkness are round about him : righteousness 
and judgment are the habitation, or, establishment of his 
throne. 

When the mercy and grace of our heavenly King are to be 
described, he is likened to the sun shining in a clear firma- 
ment, and gladdening universal nature with his beneficent 
rays. But when we are to conceive an idea of him, as going 
forth, in "justice and judgment," to discomfit and punish his 
adversaries, the imagery is then borrowed from a troubled 
sky ; he is pictured as surrounded by "clouds and darkness;" 
from whence issue lightnings and thunders, storms and tem- 
pests, affrighting and confounding the wicked and impenitent. 

3. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies 
round about. 4. His lightnings enlightened the world : the 
earth saw and trembled. 5. The hills melted like wax at 
the presence of the Lord : at the presence of the Lord of the 
whole earth. 

The judgments of God, and their effects upon the world, 
are here set forth, under the usual similitude of lightning and 
fire from heaven, causing the earth to tremble, and the moun- 
tains to melt and dissolve away. The exaltation of Christ to 
the throne of his kingdom, was followed by a dreadful dis- 
play of that vengeance, which broke in pieces the Jewish 
nation, and brought their civil and religious polity to an utter 
dissolution. In the history of their destruction, the world of 
the ungodly may view a striking picture of the great- and ter- 
rible day, when the Lord Jesus shall render a recompence to 



DAY XIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



411 



all his enemies. He is then to descend in flaming fire; light- 
nings shall be his harbingers; the earth shall tremble, and 
the hills shall, literally, "melt like wax at the presence of 
Jehovah." 

6. The heavens declaim his righteousness ; and all the 
people see his glory. 

"The heavens," by the manifestation of vengeance from 
thence, reveal, " declare," and proclaim the " righteous" 
judgments of Messiah; and " all the people" upon earth are 
witnesses of the " glory" of his victory over every thing that 
opposeth itself to the establishment of his kingdom. This 
will be more eminently the case at the second advent, when 
the trumpet of the archangel shall proclaim his approach in 
the clouds of heaven, and all the tribes of the earth shall see 
his coming in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. 

7. Confounded be, or, shall be all they that serve graven 
images; that boast themselves of idols : worship him, all ye 
gods. 

When Jesus was exalted, his gospel published, and his 
power and glory made known in the heathen world, men 
grew " ashamed" of their " images, and boasted themselves 
in their idols" no more. The last clause of our verse, 
"Worship him, all ye gods," declares the supremacy of 
Christ over all that are called gods, in heaven and 

in earth, who are enjoined to pay adoration unto him, instead 
of claiming it for themselves. 

8. Sion heard, and was glad, and the daughters of Judah 
rejoiced; because of thy judgments, O Lord. 9. For thou, 
Lord, art high above all the earth : thou art exalted far 
above all gods. 

The inhabitants of the new " Sion," or the people of God, 
" heard" the tidings, that idols and idolatry were fallen, and 
the Lord Jesus reigned triumphant; they heard, and " were 
glad; the daughters of Judah," or Christian churches, " re- 
joiced" in the Holy Ghost, with joy unspeakable, " because 
of these j udgments " of their God upon his enemies, whereby 
he evinced himself superior to the powers of the earth, and 
the gods of the nations. Thus, at the fall of Babylon, it is 
said, Rev. xviii. 20. — Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and 
ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on 
her." And Eusebius speaks in the following terms of the 
times under Constantine, which succeeded the overthrow of 



412 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCVII. 



Maxentius and Maximin; — " A bright and glorious day, no 
cloud overshadowing it, did enlighten, with rays of heavenly 
light, the churches of Christ over all the earth; — and among 
all Christians there was an inexpressible joy, and a kind of 
celestial gladness." — Ecclesiast. Hist. b. x. 

10. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the 
souls of his saints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the 
wicked. 

Having sung the glory of the Redeemer, the Psalmist 
delineates the duty of the redeemed. They are characterized 
by their " love of God;" they are enjoined to " hate evil;" 
this hatred is, indeed, a consequence, and a sure proof of 
that love, when it is genuine and sincere. Religion must be 
rooted in the heart, and spring from thence. A Christian 
must not only serve God outwardly , but must inwardly "love" 
him ; he must not content himself with abstaining from overt 
acts of sin, but must truly " hate" it. They who do so, are 
a the saints of God, whose souls he preserveth" from evil, 
and will finally "deliver" from the evil one, and his asso- 
ciates, by a happy death and a glorious resurrection. 

11. Light is sown for the righteous: and gladness for the 
upright in heart. 

However gloomy our prospect may at any time be, let us 
wait patiently, as the husbandman doth, all the winter, in 
expectation of a future crop, from the seed which lieth 
buried in the earth. " Light and gladness are sown for the 
righteous and true-hearted," though they may not yet ap- 
pear; the seed-time is in this world; the harvest will be in 
that to come. " In due season we shall reap, if we faint 
not."— Gal. vi. 9. 

12. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks 
at the remembrance of his holiness. 

Tribulation itself, therefore, should not prevent our " re- 
joicing in Jehovah our righteousness," who justifieth us from 
our sins; no adversity ought to make us negligent in cele- 
brating, with thanksgiving, the " commemorations of his 
holiness," which the church hath appointed to be observed; 
to the end that we may always remember, with gratitude, 
how great things he hath done for us already, and reflect 
with comfort on those much greater things which he hath 
promised to do for us hereafter. 



DA V XIX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



413 



NINETEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM XCVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this evangelical hymn, the Prophet, 1 — 3. extols the miracles, the 
victory, the salvation, the righteousness, the mercy, and truth of the 
Redeemer ; on account of which, 4 — 9. he calls upon man, and the 
whole creation, to rejoice, and praise Jehovah. 

1. O sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done 
marvellous things : his right hand and his holy arm hath 
gotten him the victory. 

New mercies and wonders demand new songs. And what 
mercies, what wonders, can be compared with those wrought 
by the holy Jesus? " Go and tell John," saith he to John's 
disciples; go and tell all the world, saith he to his own 
disciples, "the things which ye see and hear; "the marvellous 
things which I do to the bodies and to the souls of men. 
" The blind receive their sight," and the ignorant minds are 
enlightened with knowledge ; " the lame walk," and strength 
is communicated to impotent souls; "the lepers are cleansed," 
and the lascivious rendered chaste; "the deaf hear," and 
the obstinate listen to instruction and reproof; " the dead 
are raised," and sinners justified; " the gospel is preached," 
and the world converted. " His own right hand, and his 
holy arm," hath done these marvellous things, without and 
against all worldly power; not by spear and sword, but by 
patience and charity, he hath " gotten the victory," and 
gained the glorious day. 

2. The Lord hath made known his salvation : his right- 
eousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen. 

The " salvation" of Jehovah was " made known" by the 
preaching of Christ himself in Judea, for the space of three 
years; his "righteousness," whereby sinners are justified, 
was " openly showed," by the sermons of his apostles, " in 
the sight of the heathen." Still let that salvation be made 
known, still let that righteousness be openly showed, by the 



414 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCVIII. 



ministers of the gospel, until the fulness of the Gentiles 
be come in, and. the remnant of the Jews converted ; until 
antichrist be overthrown, and death himself fallen before 
the all-conquering Cross. 

3. He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the 
house of Israel ; all the ends of the earth have seen the sal- 
vation of our God. 

In sending the Messiah, God showed himself mindful of 
the promises, which " mercy" prompted him to make, and 
" truth" required him to perform. These promises were 
made to " the house of Israel;" to the lost sheep of that 
house, Christ declared himself sent; and the apostles offered 
salvation first to the Jews : but to them it was never intended 
that evangelical blessings should be confined. The prophets 
spake in plain terms of the call of the Gentiles, who were to 
be adopted into the holy family, and made the children of 
Abraham. The gospel was accordingly preached to the 
nations, the apostles made their progress through the world, 
and "all the ends of the earth saw the salvation of God." 
The Jews fell from the faith of their fathers, and, to this 
day, continue in their apostasy. And are not the Gentiles, 
in their turn, falling away, after the same example of un- 
belief? " Remember," yet once again, O Lord, thy "mercy 
and truth toward the house of Israel;" yet once again let 
" all the ends of the earth see thy salvation." 

4. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth ; 
make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. 5. Sing 
unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of 
a Psalm. 6. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a 
joyful noise before the Lord the king. 

The Psalmist, beholding in spirit the accomplishment of 
the promises, the advent of Christ, and the glory of his king- 
dom, thinks it criminal in any creature to be silent; he bids 
the whole earth break forth into joy, and exult in God our 
Saviour, with every token of gratitude and thankfulness; with 
voices and instruments of all kinds, in perfect harmony, with 
tempers and affections according in like manner, men are 
enjoined to sound aloud the praises of their great Redeemer. 

7. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof ; the world, and 
they that dwell therein. 8. Let the floods clap their hands, 
let the hills be joyful together, 9. Before the Lord ; for he 



DAY XIX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



415 



comet k to judge the earth : with righteousness shall he judge 
the world, and the people with equity. 

The inanimate parts of creation are called upon to bear 
their parts in the new song, and to fill up the universal 
chorus of praise and thanksgiving, in honour of him that 
sitteth upon the throne. Or, perhaps, the converted heathen 
nations are intended under the figures of the " sea," the 
" rivers," and the " hills," and their exultations expressed 
by the noise of many waters, their beauty and fruitfulness by 
those of the hills, when crowned with plenty, they, as it were, 
laugh and sing, at the approach of harvest. The subject of 
this general joy is, as before, in Ps. xcvi. 13. the advent of 
Messiah to reform the world, to execute judgment upon the 
wicked, and to establish a kingdom of righteousness upon 
the earth. We expect his second advent to restore all things, 
to judge the world, to condemn his enemies, and to begin his 
" glorious" reign, Then shall heaven and earth rejoice, and 
the joy of the redeemed shall be full. 



PSALM XCIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

Under images borrowed from the old dispensation, the prophet celebrates, 
1. the reign of Messiah, and the submission of his enemies ; 2 — 4. his 
exaltation, holiness, power, and justice; which, 5. men are exhorted to 
acknowledge and adore. 6 — 9. The examples of Moses, Aaron, and 
Samuel are introduced, to encourage us in worshipping and serving our 
God and Saviour. 

1. The Lord reignetk, let the people tremble ; he sitteth 
between the cherubims; let the earth be moved, or, bow. 

Jehovah reigneth in the Christian church, as he did of old 
in the Jewish temple ; when he appeared between the cheru- 
bims in the Holy of Holies, in the form and likeness of a ma?i, 
encompassed with "glory:" Ezek. i. 26. Numb. vii. 89. 
he subdued the enemies of Israel, when they raged most 
furiously against his people; he will also bring into subjec- 
tion the adversaries of the gospel, and finally render us vic- 
torious over the powers of darkness. The passions and 
affections may mutiny and rebel; but if Christ reign in the 
heart by faith, they must soon tremble and submit. 

2. The Lord is great in Sion, and he is high above all 



416 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. XCIX. 



people. 3. Let them praise thy great and terrible name: for 
it is holy. 

The power and pre-eminence of the Redeemer, whom no 
creature is able to resist, are reasons why all should save 
themselves, by yielding in time to his sceptre; by taking the 
benefit of his protection, instead of incurring his displeasure; 
by "praising his great, terrible, and holy name," instead of 
suffering the almighty vengeance, which he, who owns that 
name, can inflict. 

4. The King's strength also loveth judgment, thou dost 
establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness 
in Jacob. 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at 
his footstool: for he is holy. 

For although the " strength" of our King be infinite, yet 
it is never exerted, but in " righteousness" and "just judg- 
ment," which are his delight; they compose the firm basis 
of his throne, and direct his whole administration. Impeni- 
tent rebels must feel the weight of his arm, and none can 
accuse the justice of their punishment : but in all other cases, 
he is "mighty only to save." — Isa. lxiii. 1. This holiness 
of his proceedings, this due temperament of justice with 
mercy, the redeemed are exhorted to acknowledge and to 
proclaim, falling down before the throne, and uttering the 
angelical trisagion, " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 
which was, and is, and is to come ! " 

6. Moses and Aaron among his priests, or, chief rulers, 
and Samuel among them that call upon his name : they called 
upon the Lord, and he answered them. 7. He spake unto 
them in the cloudy pillar : they kept his testimonies, and the 
ordinance that he gave them. 

To encourage the faithful in the worship of God, the 
examples of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are adduced, men of 
like infirmities with ourselves, whose prayers were heard, 
both for themselves and others, and answers were returned 
to them from the mystic " cloud," that symbol of the divine 
presence, which, for a while, was itinerant with the camp in 
the wilderness, and then became fixed in the tabernacle at 
Shiloh, till its last removal to Mount Sion. These men were 
heard through the intercession of the great Mediator, whom 
they represented. Through that same intercession, our 
prayers also are heard, if we " keep his testimonies, and the 
ordinances that he hath given us." 



DAY XIX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



417 



8. Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God ; thou wast a 
God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of 
their inventions. 

The construction of the verse seems to be this : — " O Lord 
our God, thou didst hear, or answer them," that is, the afore- 
mentioned typical mediators, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel ; 
" thou becamest a forbearing God for them," or, at their 
intercession; and that, "even when punishing," or, when 
thou hadst begun to punish "the wicked deeds of them," 
that is, not of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, but of the people, 
who had transgressed, and for whom they interceded. This 
was the case, when Moses interceded for the idolaters, 
Exod. xxxii. 32. Aaron for the schismatics, Numb. xvi. 47. 
and Samuel for the whole nation, 1 Sam. vii. 9. " Pray 
one for another," saith an apostle to Christians, " that ye 
may be healed : the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous 
man availeth much." — James v. 16. 

9. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy 
hill : for the Lord our God is holy. 

The Psalmist repeats his exhortation, enforced by the 
preceding examples of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, and again 
invites all people to worship a " holy" God in a " holy" 
place, and to adore the consummate rectitude of all his pro- 
ceedings, singing with the spirits above, "Great and mar- 
vellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true 
are thy ways, thou King of Saints." — Rev. xv. 3. 



PSALM C. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist invites all the world to join with the Israelites in the service 
of him who was kind and gracious to them beyond expression. Ac- 
cordingly, we Christians now properly use this Psalm in acknowledg- 
ment of God's wonderful love to us in Christ ; by whom we offer up 
continually spiritual sacrifices, for redeeming us by the sacrifice which 
he made of himself ; for making the world anew, and creating us again 
unto good works; according to his faithful promises, which we may 
depend upon for ever. — Patrick. 

1 . Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands : 
2. Serve the Lord with gladness : come before his presence 
with singing. 

2 E 



418 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. C 



The prophet addresseth himself to "all lands," or to "all 
the earth; " to Gentiles, as well as Jews. He exhorteth them 
to "make a joyful noise," a noise like that of the trumpets at 
the time of jubilee, a sound of universal triumph and exulta- 
tion, in honour of " Jehovah," now become their Lord and 
Saviour. The service of this our Master is perfect freedom ; 
it is a service of love, a freedom from Pharaoh and the 
task -masters, from Satan and our own imperious lusts ; it is 
a redemption from the most cruel bondage, into the 
glorious liberty of the sons of God. Let us therefore do as 
we are commanded; let us "serve the Lord with glad- 
ness;" and when we "come before his presence" in the 
temple, let it be "with singing" to the praise and glory of 
our Redeemer. Thus he is served in heaven, and thus he 
delighteth to be served on earth. 

3. Know ye that the Lord he is God, it is he that hath 
made us, and not we ourselves ; we are his people, and the 
sheep of his pasture. Or, He hath made us, and we are his* 
his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 

The motives here urged for serving and praising Jehovah, 
are the same with those above, in Ps. xcv. 6, 7. namely, that 
he is our "God," engaged by covenant on our behalf; that 
his hands created us, and have since new-created us ; that 
we stand in the peculiar relation of his "people," whom he 
hath chosen to himself, and over whom he presideth, as 
king; that we are "the sheep of his pasture," for whom 
the good Shepherd laid down his life, and whom he nourish- 
eth, by the word and sacraments, unto eternal life. These 
are points which every Christian ought to "know" and 
believe, unto his soul's health. And whoever doth know 
them aright, will ever be ready with heart and voice to obey 
the injunction which followeth in the next verse. 

4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts 
with praise : be thankf ul unto him, and bless his name. 

The Christian church is a temple, whose "gates" stand 
continually open, for the admission of the nations from all 
the four quarters of the world. — Rev. xxi. 13, 25. Into the 
" courts" of this temple, which are now truly "courts of the 

* " I am persuaded that the Masoretical correction iVl (and we are his) 
is right : the construction and parallelism both favour it." — Bishop Lowth. 
A correspondent suggests — Might not the clause be rendered interroga- 
tively — " Are not we his people, and the sheep of his pasture ?" 



BAY XIX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



419 



Gentiles," all men are invited to come, and offer their evan- 
gelical sacrifices of "confession and praise; " to express their 
gratitude to their Saviour, and "bless" his gracious and 
hallowed "name." How glorious will be that day, which 
shall behold the everlasting gates of heaven lifting up their 
heads and disclosing to view those courts above, into which 
the children of the resurrection are to enter, there, with 
angels and archangels, to dwell and sing for evermore ! 

5. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting : and 
his truth endureth to all generations. 

"Jehovah is good;" he is the source of all beauty and 
perfection in the creature ; how altogether lovely must he 
needs be in himself ! " His mercy is everlasting," extending 
through time into eternity; "and his truth," or fidelity in 
accomplishing his promises, "endureth to all generations," 
evidenced to the whole race of mankind, from Adam to his 
last born son. The Psalms, which celebrate these attributes, 
will never, therefore, be out of date, but each successive 
generation will chant them with fresh propriety, and fresh 
delight, until by saints and angels they are sung new in the 
kingdom of God. 



PSALM CI. 

ARGUMENT. 

In the person of David, advanced to the throne of Israel, we hear King 
Messiah declaring how he intended to walk, and govern his household 
the church, and also describing the qualifications which he should re- 
quire in his ministers and servants. 

1 . / will sing of mercy and judgment ; unto thee, O Lord, 
will I sing. 

David, having determined to sing unto Jehovah, chooseth 
for his theme "mercy and judgment;" either that mercy 
which God had shown to him, and that judgment which 
had been inflicted on his enemies ; or else, that upright ad- 
ministration of mercy and judgment, with which he himself 
intended to bless his people. The righteous administration 
of mercy and judgment in the kingdom of Messiah, is. a 
topic on which his subjects always expatiate with pleasure 
and profit. His mercy encourageth the greatest of sinners 
to hope ; his judgments forbid the best of men to presume. 

2 e 2 



420 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CI. 



2. / will behave myself wisely in a -perfect way : O when 
wilt thou come unto me ? I will walk within my house with 
a perfect heart. 

In return for the favours of heaven, we hear the Israeli tish 
monarch declaring his resolution, to set his court and king- 
dom an example of true wisdom and unshaken integrity ; at 
the same time, sighing for that visitation of divine grace, 
which alone could enable him to put his resolution in practice, 
— "O when wilt thou come unto me?" This was ever the 
voice of the church, longing for the presence of God in human 
nature, "O when wilt thou come unto me?" And this must 
ever be the wish of a Christian, who knoweth, that though 
in himself he be nothing, yet that he can do all things 
through Christ, who strengthened him by his Spirit in the 
inner man. Messiah was the only King of Israel, whose 
life held forth to his subjects a perfect pattern of wisdom 
and righteousness, and whose death procured them grace, 
in their different measures and degrees, to follow it. 

3. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes : I hate the 
work of them that turn aside, it shall not cleave unto me. 

" I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes ; " that is, 1 
will not propose to myself, or think of carrying into execu- 
tion, any iniquitous scheme of politics, however advan- 
tageous and tempting it may appear ; I will turn away my 
eyes and my attention, and reject it at once : " I hate the work 
of them that turn aside ; " of them who, in their counsels and 
their actions, deviate from the divine law, to serve their own 
interest; "it shall not cleave unto me;" no such corrupt 
principle shall adhere to my soul, or find a place in my af- 
fections. How noble a resolution for a king to make ; but 
how difficult an one for a king to keep ! Thou only, O King 
of Righteousness, didst never set any wicked thing before 
thine eyes ; thou only hadst a perfect aversion to the ways 
of transgressors. 

4. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know 
a wicked person. 

As is the king, so will be the court ; as is the master of 
the house, such will be those of his household. David, 
having resolved to " walk within his house with a perfect," 
a sincere and upright, " heart," determines at the same time 
to expel from thence all, whose hearts were perverted and 
depraved : as he would " set no wicked thing before his 



DAY XIX. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



421 



eyes," so neither would he form any connexions with 
"wicked persons;" they should not be of his acquaintance, 
much less should they be his favourites. In the same manner 
speaketh our heavenly King, with regard to the appoint- 
ment of his ministers and servants — " I know you not, 
whence you are ; depart from me, all ye workers of 
iniquity." — Luke xiii. 27. 

t 5. Whoso 'privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut 
off : him that hath an high look, and a proud, or, extended, 
and therefore insatiable heart, ivill not I suffer. 

Detraction, ambition, and avarice, are three weeds which 
spring and flourish in the rich soil of a court. The Psalmist 
declareth his resolution to undertake the difficult task of 
eradicating them, for the benefit of his people, that Israelites 
might not be harassed by informers, or oppressed by insolent 
and rapacious ministers. Shall we imagine these vices 
less odious in the eyes of that King, whose character was 
composed of humility and charity ; or will Christ admit 
those tempers into the court of heaven, which David deter- 
mined to exclude from his court upon earth ? 

6. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that 
they may dwell with me : he that walketh in a perfect way, 
he shall serve me. 

The "eyes" of princes cannot be better employed, than 
in looking around them, in order to choose, from among their 
own subjects, fit and able men to transact the public busi- 
ness; men of inviolable "fidelity," and unshaken integrity; 
men who know how to think aright, and how to speak what 
they think ; men likewise, who " walk in the perfect way " 
of holiness, who do not disgrace their politics by their lives, 
or prejudice their master's cause by their sins, more than 
they can ever advance it by their abilities. Bishops may 
be called the " eyes" of Christ ; they are to " overlook " his 
people ; and we pray him at the seasons of ordination, "so 
to guide and govern their minds, that they may faithfully 
and wlseiy make choice of fit persons to serve in the sacred 
ministry of the church." 

7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house : 
he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 

To purge a court of " deceit" and "falsehood," was a re- 
solution worthy king David, worthy the representative of 
Him, who styleth himself The Truth, from whose heavenly 



422 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CI I 



palace and city will be for ever excluded, as St. John 
informeth us, "whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." — 
Rev. xxii. J 5. 

8. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land ; that I 
may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. 

Every earthly prince should consider himself as raised to 
a throne, and invested with power, " for the punishment of 
wickedness and vice, and the maintenance of God's true 
religion and virtue." "Early, "therefore, in the "morning" of 
his reign, he should set about the work of reformation, that 
so the blessings of heaven may descend upon himself and 
his people, according to the infallible promises of the Most 
High. And let each individual, in like manner, and for the 
same reason, be zealous and diligent to reform his own heart 
and ways, ever mindful of that future most awful morning, 
when the King of Righteousness shall "cut off" with the 
sword of eternal judgment, "all wicked doers from that 
city of Jehovah," the New and heavenly Jerusalem. 



TWENTIETH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is entitled, " A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, 
and poureth out his complaint before the Lord." It seems to have been 
written, during the captivity, by one of the prophets, who like Daniel 
in paralleled circumstances, 1, 2. maketh supplication before his God ; 
3 — 11. setteth forth, in the most affecting strains, his wretched and 
sorrowful estate, or rather, perhaps, that of Jerusalem, which he per- 
sonates; 12. he comforteth himself, by reflecting on the eternity and 
immutability of Jehovah; 13 — 22. he predicteth and describeth the 
restoration of Sion, with her enlargement by the accession of the Gen- 
tiles when Messiah shall have visited and redeemed her ; 23, 24. he 
returneth again to his lamentations ; but, 25 — 28. again reposeth his 
confidence on him who created all things, and who would not fail to 
make good his word and promise, if not to the generation then present, 
yet to their posterity. This is the fifth of those styled Penetential 
Psalms; and St. Paul, Heb. i. 10. hath asserted, that it is addressed to 
the eternal Son of God, and Saviour of the world. 

1 . Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. 



DAY XX. M. P.l 



ON THE PSALMS. 



423 



2. Hide not thy face from me, in the day when / am in 
trouble, incline thine ear unto me ; in the day when I call, 
answer me speedily. 

Sin and sorrow force "prayers" and " cries" from the 
sons of Adam. The first petition here preferred is, that 
these prayers and cries may be " heard " in heaven. The day 
of human life is "a day of trouble," a day of darkness and 
gloominess, which nothing can brighten, but the light of 
God's " countenance; " nothing can render comfortable, but 
a " speedy answer" of mercy and peace from above. 

3. For my days are consumed away like, or, in smoke, and 
my bones are burnt as an hearth, or, a fire-brand. 

The effects of extreme grief on the human frame are com- 
pared to those which fire produceth upon fuel. It exhausts 
the radical moisture, and, by so doing, soon consumes the 
substance. A man's time and his strength evaporate in 
melancholy, and his "bones," those pillars and supports of 
his body, become like wood, on which the fire hath done its 
work, and left it without sap, and without cohesion. A 
single penitent, or a whole church, bewailing their respec- 
tive transgressions, when under the rod of God, may use 
these words, and will understand the force of them. 

4. My heart is smitten and withered like grass : so that 
I forget to eat my bread. 

The metaphor is continued, and the "heart " itself, out of 
which flow the streams of life, is represented as suffering 
that from grief, which the grass of the field suffers from 
the burning heat of the sun : it is "smitten, and withered." 
And when grief hath thus dejected the spirits, the man has 
no appetite for that food which is to recruit and elevate 
them. Ahab, smitten with one kind of grief, David with 
another, and Daniel with a third, all "forgot," or refused, "to 
eat their bread." — 1 Kings xxi. 4. 2 Sam. xii. 16. Dan. x. 3. 
Such natural companions are " mourning and fasting." 

5. By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave 
to my skin. 

Extremity of sorrow causeth the flesh to waste, and the 
bones to press upon the skin, through which they are ready 
to force their way. Sickness is the chastisement of heaven, 
inflicted often upon us, to supply the want of that discipline, 
which we should exercise upon ourselves. " For if we would 
judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are 



424 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CII. 



judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not 
be condemned with the world." — 1 Cor. xi. 31. 

6. I am like the pelican of the wilderness: I am like an 
owl, or, bitter?i of the desert, or, of waste, ruinous places. 
7. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house-top. 

The sorrowful man is naturally desirous of retiring from 
the world, to vent his complaints in solitude, and to pass 
the nights in watchfulness and prayer. In such a situation 
the true penitent placeth himself, worthily to bewail his sins, 
and deprecate the judgments of his God. And in such a 
situation did captivity place the daughter of Sion, that she 
might do likewise. The use which Daniel made of it for 
this purpose, may be seen in his 9th chapter. 

8. Mine enemies reproach me all the day : and they that 
are mad against me, are sworn against me. 

The scoffs and reproaches of men are generally added to 
the chastisements of God ; or rather, perhaps, are a part, 
and sometimes the bitterest part of them. How the enemies 
of Jerusalem behaved, in the day of her calamity, is well 
known. How carnal and ungodly men behave to a peni- 
tent, when mourning for his sins, under the afflicting hand 
of heaven, is as well known. 

9. For, or, Therefore 1 have eaten ashes like bread, and 
mingled my drink with weeping, 10. Because of thine indig- 
nation and wrath ; for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me 
down. 

By " eating ashes, and drinking tears," we may under- 
stand the same as if it had been said, " I have eaten the 
bread of humiliation, and drank the water of affliction;" 
ashes being the emblem of one, and tears the consequence 
of the other; while the actions of " eating and drinking" 
intimate to us the fulness and satiety which the sufferer had 
experienced of both, from " the wrath and indignation of 
God." Prosperity and adversity are from him ; he lifteth 
up, and he casteth down ; he lifted up Jersusalem above 
all the earth, and he cast her down, to be trodden under 
foot by the Gentiles. 

11. My days are like a shadow that declineth ; and I am 
withered like grass. 12. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for 
ever, and thy remembrance unto all generations. 

A "shadow" never continueth in one stay, but is still 
gliding imperceptibly on, lengthening as it goes, and at last 



DAY XX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



425 



vanisheth into darkness. The period of its existence is 
limited to a day at farthest. The rising sun gives it birth, 
and in that moment when the sun sets, it is no more. The 
"grass" of the field, in like manner, hath a being of the 
same duration. In the morning, clothed with verdure and 
beauty, it refresheth and delighteth the eye of the beholder; 
but the evening findeth it cut down, dried up, and withered. 
Such is the life of man, sojourning in the land of his cap- 
tivity, and doing penance for his sins. But the eternity of 
Jehovah, the infallibility of his promises, and the remem- 
brance of his former works and mercies comfort our hearts, 
and encourage us to hope, nay, even to rejoice, in the 
midst of sorrow and tribulation. 

13. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Sion ; for the 
time to favour her, yea, the set time is come. 14. For thy 
servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust 
thereof 

From this passage, and what follows, it appears, that the 
suppliant, in this Psalm, bewails not only his own miseries, 
but those of the church. Israel was in captivity, and Sion 
a desolation. A " time " notwithstanding, a " set time " 
there was at hand, when God had promised to "arise, and 
to have mercy upon her." The bowels of her children 
yearned over her ruins ; they longed to see her rebuilt, and 
were ready, whenever the word of command should be given, 
to set heart and hand to the blessed work. Such ought to 
be our affection toward our Sion, however afflicted and 
destitute she may, at any time, appear to be ; such should 
be our faith in the promises of God concerning the future 
glorification of his church, at the time appointed. 

15. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord : and 
all the kings of the earth thy glory. 16. When the Lord 
shall build up Sion, he shall appear in his glory. 17. He 
will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their 
prayer. 

The object to which the prophets of old had chiefly re- 
spect, was not only the deliverance of Israel from Babylon, 
and the rebuilding of the material temple, but the salvation 
of sinners, and the erection of the Christian church, in the 
days of Messiah's kingdom. " When the Lord" Jesus thus 
"built up Siori, he appeared in his glory: the heathen 
feared his name, and all the kings of the earth" adored his 



426 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CII. 



majesty, because he had " regarded the prayer of the desti- 
tute " sons of Adam, in their worse than Babylonish captivity, 
and had arisen himself to be their Saviour and mighty Deli- 
verer. We, in these latter days, look and pray for the second 
appearance of the same Redeemer, with power and great 
glory, to raise the dead, and to build up from the dust a Je- 
rusalem which shall experience no more vicissitudes, but 
continue for ever in unchangeable beauty and brightness. 

18. This shall be written for the generation to come ; and 
the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. 

The history of "this" redemption and restoration by 
Messiah, thus foretold, hath been "written" in the gospel 
for the benefit of "after generations," to the end that "the 
people, who are created" anew in Christ Jesus, may, from 
age to age, praise Jehovah, in Psalms, and hymns, and spi- 
ritual songs ; as it is done at this day in the church, and 
ever will continue to be done, till the choirs of heaven and 
earth shall be united before the throne of the Lamb. 

19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanc- 
tuary : from heaven did the Lord behold the earth ; 20. To 
hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are 
appointed to death ; 21. To declare the name of the Lord in 
Sion, and his praise in Jerusalem : 22. When the people are 
gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve the Lord. 

Redemption is the subject of praise in the Christian church; 
and the process of that great work is here described by images 
borrowed from the temporal deliverance and restoration of 
Israel. God is represented as looking with an eye of pity 
from heaven upon poor mankind ; as hearing the groans of 
sinners, fast bound in the chains of their sins, and sentenced 
to death eternal ; as coming down to forgive and to release 
them; that, being so forgiven and released, they might cause 
the church to resound with his praises, when, upon the 
preaching of the gospel, it should be filled with converts, 
assembled from every people and kingdom of the world. 
Look down, O Lord Jesu, yet once again upon thy servants, 
still under the dominion of death, and the bondage of cor- 
ruption ; loose these chains, even these also, O Lord, and 
bring us forth into the glorious liberty of thy children ; that 
with the whole assembly of the redeemed, in the heavenly 
Jerusalem, we may bless and praise thy name for ever and 
ever. 



DAY XX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



427 



23. He weakened my strength in the way ; he shortened 
my days. 

The prophet, in the person of captive Sion, having, from 
ver. 13. to ver. 22. expressed his faith and hope in the pro- 
mised redemption, now returns to his mournful complaints, 
as at ver. 11. Israel doubteth not of God's veracity, but 
feareth lest his heavy hand should crush the generation 
then in being, before they should behold the expiration of 
their troubles. They were in " the way," but their " strength" 
was so "weakened," and their "days shortened," that they 
almost despaired of holding out to their journey's end. A 
sore trial hath the Christian church to undergo in the last 
days, before the second advent of her Lord and Saviour. 
Strong faith and invincible patience will be necessary, to 
enable her to endure, until the end shall come. 

24. And I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst 
of my days ; thy years are throughout all generations. 

Israel prayeth that the holy seed might not be extirpated, 
and perished by a kind of untimely death, ere yet the promise 
had been made good, and Sion had seen the salvation of 
her God. Every man hath reason to pray, that God would 
not "take him away in the midst of his days," or call upon 
him when unprepared ; but that time may be allowed him, 
to perfect his repentance, and to work out his salvation. 

25. Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth : and 
the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26. They shall perish, 
but thou shalt endure : yea, all of them shall wax old like a 
garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall 
be changed: 27. But thou art the same, and thy years shall 
have no end. 

Amidst the changes and chances of this mortal life, one 
topic of consolation will ever remain, namely, the eternity 
and immutability of God our Saviour ; of him who was, who 
is, and is to come. Kingdoms and empires may rise and 
fall ; nay, the heavens and the earth, as they were originally 
produced and formed by the word of God, the Son, or second 
person in the Trinity, to whom the Psalmist here addresseth 
himself ; see Heb. i. 10. so will they, at the day appointed, 
be folded up, and laid aside, as an old and worn-out garment ; 
or, if the substance remain, the present form and fashion of 
them will perish, and they will be utterly changed and altered 
from the state in which they now are. But Jehovah is ever 



428 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cur. 



the same ; his years have no end, nor can his promise fail, 
any more than himself. "Heaven and earth," saith he, 
"shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away." — 
Matt. xxiv. 35. 

28. The children of thy servants shall continue; and their 
seed shall be established before thee. 

Whatever be the fate of the present generation, whether 
they may live to see the accomplishment of all that has 
been foretold, or not, yet the word of God standeth sure ; 
there shall be always a church, and an holy seed, to whom 
the promises shall be made good. They have already been 
fulfilled with regard to the advent of Messiah, and the voca- 
tion of the Gentiles. The events which are behind, will 
be brought forward, and come to pass in their seasons, until 
the counsel of God shall be finished, and every prediction 
receive its full accomplishment, in the glorification of the 
redeemed. 



PSALM cm. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this evangelical and most comfortable hymn, David, after 1, 2. exciting 
himself to the work, 3 — 5. praiseth Jehovah for the mercies of redemp- 
tion ; 6, 7. celebrateth his goodness to Moses and Israel ; 8 — -13. setteth 
forth the divine philanthropy, under various beautiful expressions and 
images; 14 — 16. describeth, in a manner wonderfully affecting, man's 
frail and perishable state; but 17, 18. leadeth him, for consolation, to 
the everlasting mercy of God in Christ, the stability of whose throne 
and kingdom, 19. he declareth, and, 20 — 22, calleth upon heaven and 
earth to join with him in blessing and praising his holy name. 

1. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me 
bless his holy name. 

The Psalmist, about to utter a song of praise, first endea- 
vours to awaken and stir up his " soul" to the joyful task. 
He calleth forth all his powers and faculties, " all that is 
within him," that every part of his frame may glorify its 
Saviour ; that the understanding may know him, the will 
choose him, the affections delight in him, the heart believe 
in him, and the tongue confess him. — " Bless the Lord, O 
my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name." 

2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 
Thanksgiving cannot be sincere and hearty, unless a man 



DAY XX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



429 



bear impressed upon his mind, at the time, a quick sense of 
"benefits" received; and "benefits" we are most of us apt to 
" forget;" those, especially, which are conferred upon us 
by God. Therefore David repeateth his self-awakening 
call, and summoneth all his powers of recollection, that none 
of the divine favours might continue unnoticed and unac- 
knowledged. A catalogue of such particular mercies, tem- 
poral and spiritual, as each individual hath experienced 
through life, might be of service, to refresh the memory, 
upon this important head. 

3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities : who healeth all 
thine infirmities. 

At the head of God's mercies must for ever stand "remis- 
sion of sin," or that full and free pardon purchased for us 
by Jesus Christ, whereby, if we truly repent and believe in 
him, our transgressions, though ever so many, and ever so 
great, are done away, and become as if they had never been ; 
from a state of guilt we pass into one of justification, from a 
state of enmity into one of reconciliation, from a state of 
servitude into one of liberty and sonship. Next to the pardon 
of sin, considered as a crime, we are to commemorate the 
cure of it, considered as a disease, or, indeed, as a compli- 
cation of diseases — "Who healeth all thine infirmities." The 
body experienceth the melancholy consequences of Adam's 
offence, and is subject to many " infirmities;" but the soul 
is subject to as many. What is pride, but lunacy; what is 
anger, but a fever ; what is avarice, but a dropsy ; what 
is lust, but a leprosy ; what is sloth, but a dead palsy? Per- 
haps there are spiritual maladies similar to all corporeal 
ones. When Jesus Christ was upon earth, he proved him- 
self the physician of men's souls, by the cures which he 
wrought upon their bodies. It is he alone who "forgiveth 
all our iniquities;" it is he alone who "healeth all our in- 
firmities." And the person who findeth his sin "cured," 
hath a well grounded assurance that it is "forgiven." 

4. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who crowneth, 
or, encircleth thee with loving-kindness, and tender -mercies. 

Man hath two "lives; " he is therefore subject to a double 
"destruction;" and, consequently, capable of a twofold 
"redemption." He who is recovered from sickness, and 
thereby redeemed from that destruction which natural death 
bringeth upon the body, will undoubtedly sing this strain in 



430 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cur. 



transports of gratitude ; and he ought so to do. But what 
will be the sensations of him, who celebrates in the same 
words, the spiritual redemption of his soul from death and 
destruction everlasting? How is he "crowned" with the 
" loving-kindness" of Jehovah ; how is he " encircled " by 
the arms of "mercy?" "Length of days is in her right 
hand, and in her left hand riches and honour; " never ending 
"length of days ;" true "riches" that abide for ever ; and 
" the honour which cometh from God only." 

5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things : so that thy 
youth is renewed like the eaglets. 

It is God who giveth us the "good things" of this world, 
and who giveth us likewise an appetite and a taste to enjoy 
them. It is God who restore th a body, emaciated by sick- 
ness, to bloom, vigour, and agility. And he doth greater 
things than these. He " satisfieth " all the desires of the 
soul with a banquet of spiritual dainties, and bestoweth on 
her a relish for the same. By the renovating power of his 
Spirit, he restoreth her from decrepitude to the health and 
strength of a young # " eagle," so that she can ascend up on 
high, and contemplate the splendour of the Sun of Righte- 
ousness. Thus, at the day of the resurrection, clothed anew 
with salvation and glory, the body likewise shall arise from 
earth, and fly away as an eagle toward heaven, to begin an 
immortal life, and be for ever young. 

6. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all 
that are oppressed. 7. He made known his ways unto Moses, 
his acts unto the children of Israel. 

From a consideration of his own particular case, the 
Psalmist maketh a general reflection on that attribute of 
God, which inclineth him to deliver his people, and to punish 
their oppressors, of what kind soever they be. And here, 
that grand display of the "ways" and "works" of Jehovah, 
the redemption of "Israel" by the hand of a "Moses," 
immediately occurs, and is celebrated. Thus each private 

* Of all birds it is known, that they have yearly their moulting times, 
when they shed their old, and are afresh furnished with a new stock of 
feathers. This is most observable of hawks and vultures, and especially 
of " eagles," which, when they are near an hundred years old, cast their 
feathers, and become bald and like young ones, and then new feathers 
sprout forth. Thus St. Ambrose, " Aquila longam setatem ducit, dum vetus- 
tis plumis fatiscentibus, nova pennarum successione juvenescit." — Dr. 
Hammond. 



DAY XX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



431 



mercy, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, should 
remind us of that public and universal blessing of redemp- 
tion by Jesus Christ, from which every other blessing floweth, 
as a stream from its fountain, and for which God ought, 
therefore, upon all occasions, to be praised and glorified. 

8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
plenteous in mercy. 

When Moses desired Jehovah to show him his "way," 
and his "glory," Exod. xxxii. 13, 18. Jehovah passed by, 
and proclaimed himself, as here, "Jehovah, merciful and 
gracious," &c. — Exod. xxxiii. 6. How full of consolation 
to the penitent soul are all the words of this verse! — "The 
Lord is merciful," Dim, the bowels of his tender compassion 
yearn over us, as those of a mother yearn over the child of her 
womb ; " yea, a woman may forget her sucking child, yet 
can he not forget us."— Isa. xlix. 15. He is " gracious," 
t^H, ready to forgive us freely all things that are needful for 
our salvation. He is " slow to anger," bearing with the fro- 
wardnessof his children, with their provocations and relapses, 
for 40, 50, 60, 70 years together, before he strikes the blow; 
giving them, by this his long-suffering, time for repentance. 
And he is "plenteous in mercy," IDTO 4 "!, "great, mighty 
in mercy," placing his chief glory in this attribute, and 
hereby teaching us how to estimate true greatness. 

9. lie will not always chide : neither will he keep his anger 
for ever. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins ; nor 
rewarded us according to our iniquities. 

God's chastisements are some of the most eminent proofs 
of his mercy. They are sent to reclaim us, and to save us 
from eternal punishment. They continue not always, but 
are removed when they have done their work ; and while 
they last, are as nothing in comparison of those heavy 
stripes which our sins have deserved. 

11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is 
his mercy toward them that fear him. 12. As far as the 
east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgres- 
sions from us. 13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so 
the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 

We are here presented with three of the most beautiful, 
apposite, and comforting similitudes in the world. When 
we lift up our eyes, and behold around us the lofty and 
stupendous vault of heaven, encircling, protecting, enlight: 



432 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cirr. 



ening, refreshing, and cherishing the earth, and all things, 
that are therein, we are bidden to contemplate in this glass, 
the immeasurable height, the boundless extent, and the salu- 
tary influences of that mercy, which, as it were, embraceth the 
creation, and is over all the works of God. Often as we view 
the sun arising in the east, and darkness flying away from 
before the face toward the opposite quarter of the heavens, 
we may see an image of that goodness of Jehovah, whereby 
we are placed in the regions of illumination, and our sins 
are removed and put far away out of his sight. And that 
our hearts may, at all times, have confidence toward God, 
he is represented as bearing toward us the fond and tender 
affection of a "father," ever ready to defend, to nourish, 
and to provide for us, to bear with us, to forgive us, and to 
receive us in the parental arms of everlasting love. 

14. For he knoweth our frame: he remembereth that we are 
dust. 15. As for man, his days are as grass : as a flower of 
the field, so heflourisheth. 16. For the wind passeth over it, 
and it is gone ; and the place thereof shall hiow it no more. 

The consideration of man's frail and perishable estate 
weighs with the Almighty, and prevails upon him to spare 
his creature. And doth not the tear of compassion start in 
the eye of him, who reads the description which David hath 
given of it in these verses ? "Man," fallen, mortal man — 
"his days are as grass;" like that he cometh out of the 
earth, and continueth but a short time upon it ; "as a flower 
of the fields" fair but transient, " so he " unfoldeth his beauty 
in youth, " flourisheth" awhile in the vigour of manhood ; 
but lo, in a moment, the breath of heaven's displeasure, as 
a blighting "wind, passeth over him, and he is gone;" he 
boweth his drooping head, and mingleth again with his 
native dust; his friends and his companions look for him at 
the accustomed spot, which he once adorned — but in vain — 
the earth has opened her mouth to receive him, and " his 
place shall know him no more." 

17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to ever- 
lasting upon them that fear him: and his righteousness unto 
children's children: 18. To such as keep his covenant, and 
to those that remember his commandments to do them. 

Let not man presume, who withereth like the green herb ; 
but then, let not man despair, whose nature, with all its in- 
firmities, the Son of God hath taken upon him. The flower 



DAY XX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



433 



which faded in Adam, blooms anew in Christ, never to fade 
again. "The mercy of Jehovah," in his Messiah, "is ever- 
lasting and of that everlasting mercy poor frail man is the 
object. It extendeth to all the generations of the faithful 
servants of God. Death shall not deprive them of its benefits, 
nor shall the grave hide them from the efficacious influence 
of its all-enlivening beams, which shall pierce even into 
those regions of desolation, and awaken the sleepers of six 
thousand years. Man must pay to justice the temporal 
penalty of his sins; but mercy shall raise him again, to 
receive the eternal reward, purchased by his Saviour's 
righteousness. A passage in the first epistle of St. Peter 
doth most admirably illustrate this part of our Psalm. — 
" We are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incor- 
ruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abide th for 
ever. For all flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the 
flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof 
falleth away ; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. 
And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto 
you."— 1 Pet. i. 23, &c. 

19. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens ; 
and his kingdom ruleth over all. 

The glorious person who worketh all these wonders of 
mercy for his people, the word of God, and Saviour of the 
world, is triumphantly seated upon his " throne in heaven," 
and is possessed of all power to accomplish his will, even 
until all things shall be subdued unto him. The glories of 
his throne, the brightness of his excellent Majesty, and the 
might of his irresistible power, are described at large by St. 
John, Rev. iv. v. xix. 

20. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, 
that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his 
word. 21. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts, ye ministers 
of his, that do his pleasure. 22. Bless the Lord, all his 
works, in all places of his dominion : bless the Lord, O my soul. 

Joy is observed to be of a diffusive and communicative 
nature. The heart of the Psalmist is full, and overfloweth 
with it. Unable worthily to praise Jehovah for his mercies 
vouchsafed to the church, he inviteth heaven and earth to 
join with him, and to celebrate, in full chorus, the redemp- 
tion of man. St. John saw the throne of Messiah prepared ; 
he beheld the universal band assembled; and he heard 

2 F 



434 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CIV. 



when " all the angels round about the throne, ten thousand 
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, with every 
creature in heaven, earth, and sea," lifted up their voices, 
and sang together, " Blessing, and honour, and glory, and 
power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb for ever and ever." 



TWENTIETH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is an eucharistic hymn, full of majesty and sweetness, addressed to 
Jehovah, as Creator of the world. It setteth forth his glory, wisdom, 
goodness, and power, displayed, 1 — 9. in the formation of the heavens 
and earth ; 10 — J 8. in the various provision made for beasts, and birds, 
and for man, the lord of all ; 19 — 24. in the revolutions of the celestial 
bodies, and the consequent interchanges of day and night, of labour 
and rest; 25, 26. in the sea, and every thing that moveth in or upon 
the waters. 27 — 30. The dependence of the whole creation upon God, 
for its being and well-being, is beautifully represented, with, 31, 32. 
the glory which the Creator receiveth from his works, the pleasure 
which he taketh in them, and the power which he hath over them. 

33. The Psalmist declareth his resolution ever to praise Jehovah, and, 

34. predicteth the destruction of those who refuse, or neglect so to do. 
As there is a similitude between the natural and the spiritual creation, 
allusions of that sort are frequently made, in the ensuing comment, 
which may, perhaps, point out the reason why the church hath appointed 
this Psalm to be used on Whitsunday. 

1. Bless the Lord, O my soul : O Lord my God, thou art 
very great, thou art clothed with honour and majesty ; Heb. 
with glory and beauty. 5. Who coverest thyself with light 
as with a garment ; who stretchest out the heavens like a 
curtain : i. e. of a tent, or, pavilion. 

The scriptures inform us, that the same person, who re- 
deemed the world, did also create it. In the 102d Psalm, 
as we are assured by St. Paul, " to the Son it is said, Thou, 
Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, 
and the heavens are the works of thy hands." To him, 
therefore, as Creator, is the 104th Psalm likewise addressed. 
He is described as invested with M the glory which he had 



DAY XX. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



435 



with the Father before the world was :" a glimpse of which 
he vouchsafed to the three disciples, who were present 
at his transfiguration, when " his face did shine as the 
sun, and his raiment was white as the light." The first 
instance of his creating power is afforded us by the " hea- 
vens," which form a magnificent £ ' canopy, or pavilion," 
comprehending within it the earth, and all the inhabitants 
thereof. It is enlightened by the celestial orbs suspended in 
it, as the holy tabernacle was, by the lamps of the golden 
candlestick. And it was originally framed, erected, and 
furnished by its Maker, with more ease than man can con- 
struct and pitch a "tent," for his own temporary abode. 
Yet must this noble pavilion also be taken down ; these re- 
splendent and beautiful heavens must pass away, and come 
to an end. How glorious then shall be those "new heavens," 
which are to succeed them, and to endure for ever ! 

3. Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters : 
who maketh the clouds his chariot : who walketh upon the 
wings of the wind. 

The divine Architect is here represented as " laying the 
beams of his chambers, as compacting his lofts, or stories, 
in the waters." Some think the formation of the terrestrial 
strata in the waters, which, at the beginning, covered all 
things, is here alluded to. If it be objected, that the 
Psalmist, in the course of his description, is not yet arrived 
at the formation of the earth, but is still in the upper regions 
of the air ; may we not suppose, that the subject is, in this 
particular, a little anticipated, which is no uncommon case 
in the sacred writings ? The generality of expositors, how- 
ever, interpret the passage of those "dark waters, compacted 
into thick clouds of the skies," which the Almighty is else- 
where said to make the "secret place, or chamber" of his 
residence, and a kind of " footstool " to his throne. — Ps. xviii. 
9, 11. And thus, indeed, the former part of our verse is 
plainly and immediately connected with what follows; "who 
maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings 
of the wind." How astonishingly magnificient and tremen- 
dous is the idea which these words convey to us of the great 
King, riding upon the heavens, encompassed with clouds 
and darkness, attended by the lightnings, those ready execu- 
tioners of his vengeance, and causing the world to resound 
and tremble at the thunder of his power, and the noise of 

2 f2 



436 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CIV. 



his chariot wheels ! By these ensigns of royalty, these 
emblems of omnipotence, and instruments of his displeasure, 
doth Jehovah manifest his presence, when he visiteth re- 
bellious man, to make him own and adore his neglected 
and insulted Lord. — See and compare Ps. xviii. 10. and 
the context. 

4. Whomakethhis angels spirits: hisministers a flaming fire. 

From the manner in which these words are introduced, and 
the place where they stand, one should conceive the mean- 
ing of them to be, that God employeth the elements of air 
and fire, the winds mim and the lightnings, as his mes- 
sengers VOfr&tt and ministers, to execute his commands upon 
the earth.* But the apostle, Heb. i. 7. informeth us, that they 
have a further reference to immaterial angels ; either because 
those angels often appeared in the likeness, or because they 
were endued with the properties of "wind and flame." In- 
tellectual beings of the highest order in the realms above 
are as ready to fulfil the word of Jehovah, as are the elements 
of this lower world. But teach a lesson of obedience to the 
sons of men; to those of them more especially, who are ap- 
pointed "angels" of the churches, and "ministers" of Christ. 

2. Who laid the foundations of the earth , that it should 
not be removed for ever. 

In the original it is, "Who hath founded the earth upon 
its bases." The formation of this globe, on which we tread, 
is a wonderful instance of divine wisdom and power, whether 
we consider the manner in which the parts of it are put and 
kept together, or its suspension in the circumambient fluid, 
which, as some philosophers suppose, by pressing upon it on 
every side, forms so many columns, as it were, to support 
and keep it balanced. The words, "that it should not be 
removed for ever," do by no means imply, that the earth is 
stationary, or that it is eternal ; but only thus much, that it 
is so constructed as to answer the end, and to last the time, 
for wlftch it was created and intended. It shall continue 
the same in itself, and with relation to other bodies, neither 
altering its shape, nor changing its course, till the day ap- 
pointed for its dissolution ; after which, as there are to be 
"new heavens," so will there also be "a new earth." 
6. Thou coveredst it with the deep, as with a garment: the 

* In the French translation it is — " Who maketh the winds his angels, 
the flaming fire his ministers." 



DAY XX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



437 



waters stood above the mountains. 7. At thy rebuke they 
fled: at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. 8. They 
go, or, went up by the mountains : they go, or, went down by 
the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. 
9. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over: that 
they turn not again to cover the earth. 

Most interpreters suppose this to be a description of the 
situation of things, and of what was effected by the power of 
God, on the third day of the creation, when he said, " Let 
the waters be gathered together into one place, and let the 
dry land appear; and it was so." Indeed, the process at 
the creation was so exactly similar to that at the deluge, 
with regard to the circumstances here mentioned, that it 
matters not to which we apply the beautiful and truly 
poetical passage before us. In both cases, the earth was 
covered with the waters as with a garment, in every part ; 
in both cases, they fled at the Almighty word, like the 
scattered remains of a routed army ; from the heights of 
mountains, whither they had ascended, they sunk down into 
the valleys, from the valleys they retired to the bed of the 
ocean, and a part of them descended from thence into the 
great deep that lieth beneath. Bounds were set them, 
beyond which they should never pass, to overwhelm us any 
more for ever. And the experience of 4000 years hath 
taught us, that where the Creator hath laid his commands, 
plain sand is a sufficient barrier. Thus the church hath been 
delivered from her spiritual enemies ; and she hath a 
promise, on which she may with full confidence rely, that 
" the gates of hell shall never prevail against her." 

10. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run 
among the hills. 11. They give drink to every beast of the 
field ; the wild asses quench their thirst. 

The waters of the sea are not only prevented from destroy- 
ing the earth, but by a wonderful machinery are rendered 
the means of preserving every living thing which moveth 
thereon. Partly ascending from the great deep through the 
strata of the earth, partly exhaled in vapour from the surface 
of the ocean into the air, and from thence falling in rain, 
especially on the tops and by the sides of mountains, they 
break forth in fresh springs, having left their salts behind 
them ; they trickle through the valleys, between the hills, 
receiving new supplies as they go ; they become large rivers, 



438 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CIV, 



and after watering, by their innumerable turnings and wind- 
ings, immense tracts of country, they return to the place 
from whence they came. Thus every animal hath an oppor- 
tunity of quenching that thirst, which must otherwise soon 
put a period to its existence. The "wild asses" are par- 
ticularly mentioned, because they live in remote and sandy 
deserts ; yet even such creatures, in such places, are by the 
God of nature taught the way to the waters; insomuch that 
the parched traveller, when in search of a fountain, findeth 
them to be the best guides in the world, and needeth only 
to observe and follow the herds of them descending to the 
streams. In the spiritual system, or new creation, there are 
wells of salvation, living springs, waters of comfort, of 
which all nations, even the most savage and barbarous, are 
invited to come and drink freely. They flow among the 
churches ; they descend into the hearts of the lowly ; and 
they refresh us in our passage through the wilderness : for 
even there "do waters break out, and streams in the desert." 
— Isa. xxxv. 6. 

12. By them shall the fowls of the air have their habita- 
tion, which sing among the branches. 

"By them," that is, by "springs of water," in the "valleys," 
the birds delight to have their habitations, and to sing amidst 
the verdant branches, which conceal them from our sight. 
"The music of birds," as one hath well observed, "was the 
first song of thanksgiving which was offered on earth before 
man was formed. All their sounds are different, but all 
harmonious, and altogether compose a choir which we 
cannot imitate. " # If these little choristers of the air, when 
refreshed by the streams near which they dwell, express 
their gratitude by chanting, in their way, the praises of their 
Maker and Preserver, how ought Christians to blush, who, 
besides the comforts and conveniences of this world, are in- 
dulged with copious draughts of the water of eternal life, if, 
for so great blessings, they pay not their tribute of thanks- 
giving, and sing not unto the Lord the songs of Sion ! "He 
that at midnight, when the very labourer sleeps securely, 
should hear, as I have often done, the clear airs, the sweet 
descants, the natural rising and falling, the doubling and 
redoubling of the nightingale's voice, might well be lifted 
above earth, and say, Lord, what music hast thou provided 
* Wesley's " Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation," vol. i. 149. 



DAY XX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



439 



for the saints in heaven, when thou affordest bad men such 
music upon earth !" — Walton's Complete Angler, p. 9. 

13. He watereth the hills from his chambers : the earth is 
satisfied with the fruit of thy works, 14. He causeth the grass 
to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man : that 
he may bring forth food out of the earth; 15. And wine that 
maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to 
shine, and bread which strengtheneth mans heart. 

The fertility of the earth is owing to God, who, for that 
purpose, "watereth" it YMTPtTO "from his chambers," 
whether the word hath a reference to the clouds above, or 
the depths below, for both are concerned in the operation. 
Hence all the glory and beauty of the vegetable world; 
hence the grass, which nourisheth the cattle, that they may 
nourish the human race ; hence the green herb, for food 
and for medicine ; hence fields covered with corn, for the 
support of life; hence vines and olive-trees laden with fruits, 
whose juices exhilarate the heart, and brighten the counte- 
nance. Nor let us forget the spiritual benedictions corres- 
ponding to those external ones; the fruitfulness of the 
church through grace, the bread of everlasting life, the cup 
of salvation, and the oil of gladness. 

16. The trees of the Lord are full of sap : the cedars of 
Lebanon which he hath planted. 

The whole earth is a garden, planted by the hand, and 
watered by the care of Jehovah. But in a more especial 
manner is his glory set forth by the lofty and magnificent 
cedars, which, growing wild on the mountain and in the 
forest, owe nothing to the skill and industry of man. The 
moisture of the earth, rarefied by the heat of the sun, enters 
jtheir roots, ascends in their tubes, and, by due degrees, ex- 
pands and increases them, till they arrive at their growth. 
God hath also another garden, in which there are other trees 
of his planting, called by Isaiah, chap. lxi. 3. " Trees of 
righteousness." These are his faithful servants, who, 
through the Spirit which is given unto them, become emi- 
nent and steady in goodness ; their examples are fragrant, 
and their charity diffusive. 

17. Where the birds make their nest : as for the stork, 
the fir trees are her house. 

Most admirable is that wisdom and understanding, which 
the Creator hath imparted to the birds of the air, whereby 



440 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CIV. 



they distinguish times and seasons, choose the properest 
places, construct their nests with an art and exactness un- 
attainable by man, and secure and provide for their young. 
— " Is it for the birds, O Lord, who have no knowledge 
thereof, that thou hast joined together so many miracles? 
Is it for the men who give no attention to them ? Is it for 
those who admire them, without thinking of thee ? Rather, 
is it not thy design, by all these wonders, to call us to thy- 
self? To make us sensible of thy wisdom, and fill us with 
confidence in thy bounty, who watchest so carefully over 
these inconsiderable creatures, two of which are sold for a 
farthing?"* 

18. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and 
the rocks for the conies. 

The same force of what we call instinct prevails in terres- 
trial animals, and directs them to places of refuge, where 
they may be safe from their enemies. Thus the wild goats 
climb with ease to the tops and craigs of mountains, where 
they deposit their young. And thus animals of another kind, 
which are more defenceless than the goats, and not able to 
climb like them, have yet a way of entrenching themselves, 
in a situation perfectly impregnable, among the rocks ;f we 
find them, on that account, numbered by Solomon among 
the "four" kinds of animals, which, though " little upon 
the earth, are exceeding wise. The tD^Dtt? are but a feeble 
folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks." — Prov. xxx. 
26. They who in themselves are " feeble " and helpless, 
should look out betimes for a mountain of refuge, and a 
rock of safety. 

19. He appointeth the moon for seasons ; the sun knoweth 
his going down. 

From a survey of the works of God upon earth, the 
Psalmist proceedeth to extol that divine wisdom, which is 
manifested in the motions and revolutions of the heavenly 
bodies, and in the grateful vicissitude of day and night, 
occasioned thereby. A beautiful passage in the book of 
Ecclesiasticus will, perhaps, be the best comment on the 
former part of this verse. " He made the moon to serve in 

* Wesley, as above. 

f It is uncertain what species of animal is here intended by the word 
O'-lsttf. But it is enough for our purpose, that they are creatures remark- 
able for securing themselves in the manner here mentioned. 



DAY XX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



441 



her season, for a declaration of times, and a sign to the 
world. From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that 
decreaseth in her perfection. The month is called after her 
name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an 
instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament 
of heaven ; the beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an 
ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord." — 
chap. xlii. 6. The latter part of the verse expresseth the 
obedience of the "sun," or, "solar light," to the law of its 
Creator; it seemeth to "know" the exact time of its coming 
on, and going off, and fulfilleth the course prescribed to it, 
without the least deviation. O that we, who are endowed with 
sense and reason, could in like manner fulfil our course ; 
and that God's will were " done on earth, as it is even in" 
this lower and material " heaven ! " 

20. Thou makest darkness, and it is night : wherein all 
the beasts of the forest do creep forth. 21. The young lions 
roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. 

Night and darkness invite the wild beasts of the forest and 
desert from their dens and recesses, to " seek" the " prey " 
allotted them by the providence of that God, who feedeth 
the young lions, as well as the young ravens, when hunger 
enforceth them, as it were, to call upon him. Thus, when a 
nation hath filled up the measure of its iniquities, the Sun 
of Righteousness knoweth the time of his departure from it ; 
the light of the gospel is darkened, and a horrible night 
succeeds : the executioners of vengeance are in motion, and 
a commission from above is given them to seize upon the prey. 

22. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and 
lay them down in their dens. 23. Man goeth forth to his 
work and to his labour, until the evening. 

At the return of day, the sons of ravage retire, and sculk 
away to their several hiding places, that man, the lord of the 
creation, may arise, and perform, unmolested, the task which 
his Maker hath appointed him. When the light of truth 
and righteousness shineth, error and iniquity fly away before 
it, and the " roaring lion" himself departeth for a time. Then 
the Christian goeth forth to the work of his salvation, and 
to his labour of love, until the evening of old age warns him 
to prepare for his last repose, in faith of a joyful resurrection. 

24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast 
thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 



442 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CIV. 



Transported with a survey of the wonders which present 
themselves in heaven above, and on earth below, the Psalmist 
breaks forth into an exclamation (and what heart hath not 
already anticipated him ?) on the variety and magnificence, 
the harmony and proportion, of the works of God, in this 
outward, and visible, and perishable world. What then are 
the miracles of grace and glory ? What are those invisible 
and eternal things, which God hath prepared for them that 
love him, in another and a better world, and of which the 
things visible and temporary are no more than shadows ? 
Admitted to that place, where we shall at once be indulged 
with a view of all the divine dispensations, and of that beati- 
tude in which they terminate, shall we not with angels and 
archangels, cry out, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! 
In wisdom hast thou made them all ; heaven and earth are 
full of thy riches, and of thy glory." 

25. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things 
creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts, or, living 
creatures. 26. There go the ships ; there is that leviathan, 
whom thou hast made to play therein. 

There is not in all nature a more august and striking object 
than the ocean. Its inhabitants are as numerous as those 
upon the land ; nor is the wisdom and the power of the 
Creator less displayed, perhaps, in their formation and pre- 
servation, from the smallest fish that swims, to the enormous 
tyrant of the deep, the leviathan himself. By means of 
navigation, Providence hath opened a communication be- 
tween the most distant parts of the globe; the largest solid 
bodies are wafted, with incredible swiftness, upon one fluid, 
by the impulse of another, and seas join the countries which 
they appear to divide. In the ocean we behold an emblem 
of the world; under a smooth, deceitful surface it conceals 
dangerous rocks, and devouring monsters ; its waves are ever 
restless, and oftentimes it is all over storm and tempest, 
threatening to overwhelm the helpless, despairing mariner in 
a moment; such is the voyage we all have to make, ere we 
can reach the desired haven, and attain that happy clime, 
where, as we are told, there is " no more sea." — Rev. 
xxi. 1. 

27. These wait all upon thee: that thou mayest give them 
their meat in due season. 28. That thou givest them, they 
gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. 



DAY XX. E. P.J 



ON THE PSALMS. 



443 



In various ways hath God provided food for the support 
of all living creatures, and directed them to seek, and to find 
it. How pleasing a speculation is it, to consider the whole 
family of air, earth, and sea, as " waiting upon" the Father 
and Lord of all things, expecting when he should "open his 
hand," and distribute to each member his "portion of meat 
in due season !" The case is the same with regard to beings 
intellectual and spiritual, of which is composed the church 
and family of Christ, in heaven and earth ; these wait all 
upon Him, by whom Jehovah hath opened the hand of mercy 
and abundantly supplied all our needs, through the riches of 
his grace. 

29. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled : thou takest 
away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. 30. 
Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created : and thou 
renewest the face of the earth. 

When God, in the season of winter, seemeth to hide his 
face, and to have withdrawn his beneficent influences, we 
hear the cries of the creation in distress; if he recall the 
breath of life from any creature, to which he had communi- 
cated it, that creature presently ceaseth to be what it was; 
sense and motion are at an end ; the form and figure of it 
perish ; and it is resolved into its original dust. But again 
he exerteth his quickening power, and lo, fresh generations 
of animals are produced; fresh crops of vegetables shoot 
forth to nourish them; and there is a renovation of univer- 
sal nature. The presence of God, in like manner, is the 
life, his absence is the death, of the soul. If he withdraw 
his grace, we perish everlastingly; but when he "sendeth 
forth his Spirit," as he did on the day of Pentecost, "old 
things pass away, and all things become new;" the winter 
is over, and spring succeeds in its place. Nay, the hour is 
coming, when, through the same Spirit, he shall also 
quicken our mortal bodies, and thus, in a more evident and 
wonderful manner, "renew the face of the earth." 

31. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever : thy 
Lord shall rejoice in his works. 32. He looketh on the earth, 
and it trembleth ; he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. 

Such being the works of God, so manifold and so marvel- 
lous, the prophet foretelleth, that his "glory," displayed 
and declared by the same, should " endure for ever;" that 
creatures would never be wanting, to give him the praise 



444 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CIV. 



and honour due unto him; insomuch that, graciously accept- 
ing this their tribute, and pleased to find a proper return 
made him, Jehovah should, as at the first creation, acquiesce 
and rejoice in all his works and dispensations. In the mean 
time, let the unruly and disobedient reflect upon the great- 
ness of his power, and the terrors of his vengeance, who 
with a look can shake the earth, and with a touch can fire 
the mountains, as when he once descended on Sinai. 

33. / will sing unto the Lord as long as I live : I will 
sing praise unto my God, while I have my being. 34. My 
meditation of him shall be sweet ; I will be glad in the Lord. 

And who, O divine Psalmist, will not "sing" with thee, 
that hath an understanding to apprehend, and a tongue to 
celebrate the works of his Maker and Redeemer? To whom 
will not thy heavenly meditations be sweet as honey, frag- 
rant as the breath of spring, pleasant and cheering as the 
fruit of the vine ? Who doth not long to partake of thy 
spiritual joy and holy gladness ? 

35. Let the sinners, or, the sinners shall be consumed out 
of the earth, and let the wicked, or, the wicked shall be no 
?nore : bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. 

The "sinners," and the "wicked," are they, of whom it 
is elsewhere said, that they " consider not the works of 
Jehovah, nor regard the operations of his hands," to give 
him praise and glory for them. These shall one day experi- 
ence the power of that God, whose wisdom and goodness 
they would never acknowledge. They shall be "consumed," 
and " perish from the presence of the Lord, and from the 
glory of his power, when he ariseth to shake terribly the 
earth." The Psalmist, therefore, endeth as he began; 
"Bless thou the Lord, O my soul;" adding, by way of 
exhortation to us, and to all the world, " Praise ye the 
Lord." Let us, then, with "the four and twenty elders, fall 
down before him that sitteth upon the throne, and worship 
him that liveth for ever and ever, saying, Thou art worthy, 
O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power ; for thou 
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and 
were created." — Rev. iv. 10, 11. 



DAY" XXI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



445 



TWENTY-FIRST DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psairn, the first part of it at least, to ver. 15. we know, from 1 Chron. 
xvi. to have been composed by David, and given out on occasion of his 
placing the ark of God in Sion. It containeth, 1 — 8. an exhortation to 
praise Jehovah for his works of mercy and power, wrought in favour of 
Israel. 9 — 44. These are traced from their source, namely, the cove- 
nant made with Abraham, through the patriarchal history, to the deli- 
verance of the nation from the Egyptians, and its settlement in Canaan ; 
the end of all which, 45. is declared to have been, that God might have a 
people to serve him. The same is true of our redemption by Jesus 
Christ, which was the grand subject of the promise made to Abraham, 
and of which the temporal mercies, vouchsafed to the patriarchs and 
their posterity, were so many pledges and figures. 

1. O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name ; 
make known his deeds among the people. 

God, who formerly resided in Mount Sion, vouchsafing 
his presence in a tabernacle made with hands, hath since 
blessed the church with his appearance in the flesh ; and 
we Christians are bound to "make known his deeds," and 
the mercies which he hath wrought for us, "among the 
people;" that so, all the world may know him, and love 
him, and partake of his salvation. 

2. Sing unto him, sing Psalms unto him : talk ye of all 
his wondrous works. 

Music and conversation are two things, by which the 
mind of man receiveth much good, or a great deal of harm. 
They who make "Jehovah" and his "wondrous works " the 
subjects of both, enjoy a heaven upon earth. And they who 
do in reality love their Saviour, will always find themselves 
inclined to "sing to him," and to "talk of him." 

3. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice 
that seek the Lord. 

In whom should the redeemed "glory," exult, and triumph, 
but in their Redeemer, who hath made himself one with 
them, that they may be one with him? They who "seek" 
the Lord Jesus by prayer, should do it with a cheerful and 
joyous heart, because better it is to " seek " him, than to 



446 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cv. 



4 'find" all things else; and the soul that is brought to seek 
him, will soon exchange the galling cares and tormenting 
desires of the world, for the light yoke and easy burden of 
her Saviour, in whom she will find rest, and peace, and 
comfort. Therefore, — 

4. Seek the Lord and his strength : seek his face evermore. 
By faith we find our Redeemer in this life, and experience 

the power and comfort of his grace ; but hope and love still 
seek, and wish, and aspire after the sight and enjoyment of 
him in heaven, whither he is ascended. 

5. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his 
wonders, and the judgment of his mouth ; 6. O ye seed of 
Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 

As an encouragement to " seek Jehovah evermore, the 
seed of Abraham and the children of Jacob " are exhorted to 
bear in mind the marvellous works " which he had done" 
for them from the beginning, to protect and deliver them, as 
also, "the judgments of his mouth," whether by this phrase 
we understand the righteous laws given to his people, or the 
denunciations and executions of vengeance against their 
enemies. But alas, " the seed of Abraham " kept not the 
faith of their great progenitor; "the children of Jacob" 
have forfeited the blessing which their father obtained. We 
Gentiles have been, for a long season, the adopted "seed of 
Abraham," and have inherited the benediction of "Jacob." 
Let us not forget the "marvellous works" of God in Christ, 
and the "judgments of his mouth." 

7. He is the Lord our God, his judgments are in all the earth. 

If Jehovah were the "God" of Israel, on account of what, 
in covenant, he promised and performed for them, he is now 
the God of us all, on account of what he promised, and hath 
performed in Christ Jesus, for them, and for us. If, when 
he settled Israel in Canaan, "his judgments" were mani- 
fested to "all the earth," were they not manifested also, 
when the Christian church was established, and the idola- 
trous powers of the world were overthrown by the gospel ? 

8. He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word 
which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9. Which 
covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Lsaac : 
10. And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to 
Israel for an everlasting covenant : 11. Saying, Unto thee 
will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance. 



DAY XXI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



447 



Upon bringing the ark to Mount Sion, David teacheth 
Israel to bless and praise God for his having " remembered 
his covenant," made with an "oath" to their forefathers, 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would, in due time, 
settle his people in'the land of Canaan. Now, it is very ob- 
servable, that in the hymn uttered by Zacharias, the father 
of St. John the Baptist, on the subject of our redemption by 
Christ, thanks are given to the Lord God of Israel, because 
he had " remembered his holy covenant, and performed the 
oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham." And 
what was that? Why, "that we, being delivered out of the 
hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear, in holi- 
ness and righteousness." But when, or where did God pro- 
mise any such thing to Abraham, except when he told him, 
"that his seed should be in bondage four hundred years," 
but that the " nation," which detained them in bondage, 
should afterward be "judged," and that they should be 
"brought out," and come to "Canaan," Gen. xv. 13. 
where they were to "serve" him? The case seems to be 
this : — Zacharias, under the immediate influence and direc- 
tion of the Holy Spirit, transfers the language of the old dis- 
pensation to the affairs of the new one ; he celebrates the 
redemption of the world by Christ from sin and death, in 
words which literally describe the redemption of Israel from 
Egypt by Moses ; to teach us, that we should regard one as 
a sacramental pledge and figure of the other; that there is 
another bondage, in which the people of God are held ; 
another Moses, who is to deliver them ; another land of 
promise and of rest, where they are to be settled. This the 
Hebrews might have known, as St. Paul tells them, Heb. iv. 
from the passage in the 95th Psalm, where long after they 
had been in possession of Canaan, David speaks of another 
"day" of probation, and another "rest." The Jews have 
since had a melancholy proof of the same thing, by being 
dispossessed of that earthly inheritance, which they falsely 
deemed to have been perpetual, and vainly regarded as the 
end of all the promises, made to a "thousand generations," 
that is, (a definite number being put for an indefinite,) to 
them, and to us, and to "as many as the Lord our God 
shall call," while the world shall last. 

12. When they were but a few men in number: yea, very 
few, and strangers in it. 13. When they went from one 
nation to another, from one kingdom to another people. 



448 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cv. 



How wonderful was the display of God's wisdom and 
power, in his choosing a single family, and that a small one, 
the numbers of which were literally £< strangers and pilgrims 
upon earth;" in his promising to that family, in those cir- 
cumstances, a large and fertile country, where the thrones of 
many princes were then firmly established ; and, lastly, in 
his putting them into actual possession of it, at the time ap- 
pointed ! Thus the family of the holy Jesus was, at first, 
but small; "the members of it were a few, yea, a very few;" 
they were sojourners in a land not theirs; "they went from 
one nation to another;" nay, they were accounted the "re- 
fuse of the world, and the offscouring of all things." But, 
"Fear not little flock," saith he unto them, "for it is your 
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" — Luke 
xii. 32. Let us view Israel brought into Canaan, nor doubt 
but that believers shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, and 
succeed to the thrones of apostate angels. 

14. He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he re- 
proved kings for their sakes : 15. Saying, Touch not mine 
anointed, and do my prophets no harm. 

The patriarchs, during their peregrinations, were often 
in imminent danger ; as Abraham, on account of Sarah, 
Gen. xx. Isaac, in a similar case, Gen. xxvi. Jacob from 
Laban, Gen. xxxi. and from his brother Esau, Gen. xxxiii. 
Yet, destitute as they were of earthly help, the mightiest 
kings could not hurt them. Their "ways pleased the Lord, 
and he made even their enemies to be at peace with them." — 
Prov. xvi. 7. They were the typical "Prophets and Mes- 
siahs, or Christs,"* of Jehovah ; and kings were forbidden to 
lift up a hand against them. How doth the same kind Pro- 
vidence watch over the body and the members of the true 
Christ ! how often hath it interposed, to protect and preserve 
them from the powers of the world ! 

16. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land ; he 
brake the whole staff of bread. 

* Ideo autem Christi sive Uncti dicuntur, quod essent et sacerdotes et 
reges : summa quippe potestate prsediti, nullique obnoxii. Hinc foedera 
sequo jure pacta cum regibus; hinc bella suscepta, et quidem nutu suo, 
auspiciis, ut aiunt, suis. — Gen. xi v. 21. Hinc Hethsei ad Abrahamum : 
" Audi nos, Domine : Princeps Dei es apud nos." Ibid, xxiii. 4. nemini 
obnoxius, nisi Deo. Quo jure Isaacus et Jacobus usi sunt. — Gen. xxvi. &c. 
Ad heec Prophetse erant ; ut hie, et Gen. xx. 6. Quos omnes titulos unum 
Christi nomen conplectitur. Christi autem dicuntur, in typo Christi ipsius 
ab eis orituri. — Bossuet. 



DAY XXI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



449 



When Jacob had escaped other perils, we find him and 
his family likely to perish with hunger, Gen. xlii. — " Famine" 
is here finely represented as a servant, ready to come and go, 
at the " call" and command of God; for calamities, whether 
public or private, are the messengers of divine justice. 
" Bread" is the " staff" which supports life; when that staff 
is " broken," the body fails, and sinks to the earth. The 
Word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and sup- 
port of the soul; and the sorest of heaven's judgments is that 
mentioned by the prophet Amos, chap. viii. 11. — " Behold, 
the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine 
in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, 
but of hearing the words of the Lord. Such a famine was 
sore in all lands, when Christ made his appearance in the 
flesh, whose advent, with the blessed effects of it, is won- 
derfully shadowed forth in the prophetical history of the 
patriarch Joseph. 

17. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was 
sold for a servant : 18. Whose feet they hurt with fetters ; 
he was laid in iron. 

Joseph and Jesus were both envied, hated, and sold by 
their brethren ; both suffered by a false accusation; the former 
was laid in irons, the latter crucified, and confined in the 
prison of the grave, fast bound with the bands of death. 
The wickedness of man, in working its own will, did un- 
wittingly accomplish the counsels of God. " As for you," 
saith Joseph to his brethen, Gen. 1. 20. " ye thought evil 
against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, 
as it is this day, to save much people alive." And how doth 
St. Peter address the brethren of that other Joseph? " Him, 
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknow- 
ledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have 
crucified and slain — And now brethren, I wot that through 
ignorance ye did it — But those things which God before had 
showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should 
suffer, he hath so fulfilled." — Acts ii. 23. and iii. 17. 

19c Until the time that his word came: the word of the 
Lord tried him. 

Joseph continued in prison, " until the time that his word 
or cause, 111 came" before the king, and was " known," 
according to our old translation; or, "until his word," or 
prediction concerning the chief butler's promotion, " came 

2 G 



450 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cv. 



to pass;" for this was the means of Joseph's enlargement 
and justification; since a person, guilty of the crime with 
which he stood charged, would not have been inspired to 
foretel future events. " Can we find," said Pharaoh, " such 
an one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is ? " — 
Gen. xli. 38. In the mean time, the " word, command- 
ment, or decree, m?2N of the Lord" tried him, in the fur- 
nace of affliction, there refining and preparing him for his 
approaching exaltation to glory and honour. Thus was 
there a time appointed for the abode of Jesus in the grave, 
at the expiration of which all his promises and predictions 
were fulfilled: he came forth, " made perfect through suf- 
ferings," and ready to " enter into his glory." 

20. The king sent and loosed him : even the ruler of the 
people, and let him go free. 21. He made him lord of his 
house, and ruler of all his substance; 22. To bind his 
princes at his pleasure : and teach his senators wisdom. 

The circumstances of Joseph's advancement, here alluded 
to, are related, Gen. xli. &c. Those of our Lord's resur- 
rection and glorification afford a marvellous parallel. At 
the determined hour, " The king" of heaven " sent" his 
angel, " and loosed him" from the bands of death; "the 
Ruler of the world let him go free" from the penalty which 
he had undertaken to pay, and had now fully paid. " He 
made him lord of his house, the church, and ruler of all his 
substance," in heaven and in earth, that he might, by his 
holy discipline, " bind princes at his pleasure," and by his 
gospel "teach" true "wisdom" to the "senators" and poli- 
ticians of the world; he was clothed with the robes of 
majesty, he was adorned with all the ensigns of royalty, 
and to him it was ordained, "every knee should bow." 
The storehouses of grace and salvation were opened; the 
nations came to be supplied by him with the bread of life ; 
and we look for that happy day, when the Jews shall do 
the same, and " Joseph shall be made known to his 
brethren." 

23. Israel also came into Egypt : and Jacob sojourned 
in the land of Ham. 24. And he increased his people 
greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies, 25. 
He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilely 
with his servants. 

The Psalmist now exhibiteth to our view a fresh scene of 



DAY XXI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



451 



tribulation and affliction, which occasioned repeated mercies, 
and a new deliverance. Israel, by means of Joseph, ob- 
tained an establishment in Egypt. But in process of time, 
the increase and prosperity of Israel excited the envy and 
jealousy of Egypt, and brought on a persecution. The 
kindness and love of God to his people " turned the hearts" 
of the Egyptians against them, and caused animosity to 
take place of friendship. A king arose who knew not 
Joseph, and measures were concerted to keep the Hebrews 
under; a royal edict was issued to prevent their increase, 
by putting the males to death ; and the generation then in 
being was reduced to a state of the most abject servitude, 
and cruel bondage. Such usage the people of God have 
often experienced from the world, at the instigation of him, 
who in scripture is styled, " the prince of this world." 

26. He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had 
chosen. 27. They showed his signs among them, and wonders 
in the land of Ham. 

When the tyranny and oppression of Pharaoh were at 
the highest, and Israel cried unto Jehovah because of the 
bondage, he remembered his promise to Abraham, and sent 
Moses, with Aaron, to effect that mighty deliverance, which 
was to be the grand pledge and figure of our salvation by 
Jesus Christ. Of him Moses prophesied, when he said, 
" A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of 
your brethren, like unto me." — Deut. xviii. 15. cited and 
applied, Acts iii. 22. He came to rescue mankind from a 
spiritual bondage, and to deliver all who were " oppressed 
by the devil:" Acts x. 38. he came at a time when that 
oppression was most grievous among Jews and Gentiles : 
his birth was signalized by an order from another Pharaoh, 
to slay the infants; and Egypt afforded him a refuge from 
the tyrant's fury : he wrought innumerable " signs and 
wonders;" but they were all signs of mercy, and wonders 
of love. Those of terror and vengeance were reserved 
for a future advent, foreshowed in the destruction of Jeru- 
salem. 

28. He sent darkness, and made it dark: and they rebelled 
not against his word : or, and did they not still rebel against 
his word 7 . 29. He turned their waters into blood, and slew 
their fish. 30. Their land brought forth frogs in abundance 
in the chambers of their kings. 31. He spake, and there 

2 g 2 



452 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cv. 



came divans soi^ts of flies, Heb. a mixture came, and lice in 
all their coasts. 32. He gave them hail for rain; and 
flaming fire in their land. 33. He smote their vines also, 
and fig-trees; and brake the trees of their coasts. 34. He 
spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that with- 
out number : 35. And did eat up all the herbs in their land: 
and devoured the fruit of their ground. 36. He smote 
also all the first-born in their land: the chief of all their 
strength. 

Who can behold this army of divine judgments thus 
passing in dreadful array before him, without trembling 
very exceedingly at that power, which is able to send them, 
singly, or in conjunction, upon a sinful land? Who can 
reflect upon their number and variety, without adoring that 
goodness, patience, and long-suffering, which tried so many 
different methods, and waited so long, to lead the offenders 
to repentance? For more particulars, see the comment on 
Ps. lxxviii. 43—51. 

37. He brought them, i. e. the people of Israel, forth 
also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble 
person among their tribes. 38. Egypt was glad when they 
departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. 

The Israelites not only came forth from Egypt, but cam a 
forth laden with the spoils of their enemies, which they were 
commanded to take, by him who is the absolute Lord of all 
property, and who, as a righteous Judge, did thus award to 
his people the wages due to their incredible labours, the 
Egyptians being now willing and ready to furnish them 
with any thing required, in order to dismiss them. " The 
Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might 
send them out of the land in haste : for they said, We be 
all dead men." — Exod. xii. 33. And what was very extra- 
ordinary, among such a number of men, women, children, 
and cattle, nothing was " weak and feeble," nothing unable 
to perform the journey. The order was, that " not a hoof 
should be left behind;" Exod. x. 26. and he who com- 
manded gave strength to obey. Thou hast also enjoined 
us thy servants, O Lord, to quit Egypt, and march for 
Canaan; let thy grace invigorate us from time to time, that 
so we faint not by the way. 

39. He spread a cloud for a covering: and fire to give light 
in the night. 40. The people asked, and he brought quails: 



DAY XXI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



453 



and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. 41. He opened 
the rock, and the waters gushed out : they ran in the dry 
•places like a river. 

" Brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how 
that all our fathers were under the cloud; and were all 
baptized unto Moses in the cloud ; and did all eat the same 
spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; 
for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; 
and that Rock was Christ." — 1 Cor x. 1 — 4. In our pas- 
sage through this wilderness of life, over barren sands, and 
amidst fiery serpents, be thou, blessed Lord, our guide and 
our guard ; protected by thy providence, supported by thy 
word, and refreshed by thy spirit, lead us even where, and 
in what manner it shall seem good to thee; only do not 
thou forsake us, and we ask no more. 

42. For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham 
his servant. 43. And he brought forth his people with joy, 
and his chosen with gladness. 

The same God hath since " remembered again his pro- 
mise fo Abraham; " he hath visited his people, and redeem- 
ed them from the bondage of sin, under the tyranny of Satan ; 
which redemption they daily celebrate in the church, with 
"joy and gladness," waiting for their final deliverance from 
death and the grave, when they are to sing in heaven " the 
song of Moses and the Lamb." — Rev. xv. 3. 

44. And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they in- 
herited the labour of the people : 45. That they might ob- 
serve his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the Lord. 

It is not, therefore, intended, that the Israelites should 
regard Canaan as their paradise, and look no farther; but 
that, being rescued from their enemies, and settled in peace 
and plenty, they should improve the opportunity, thereby 
afforded them, of serving the Lord their God, and of secur- 
ing to themselves, through the obedience of faith, an inhe- 
ritance in "a better country, that is to say, an heavenly." 
And let all the children of faithful Abraham, whose lot hath 
fallen in "a land flowing with milk and honey," upon earth, 
reflect, that God hath given them riches, and the leisure which 
riches procure, not for the purpose of indulging and cor- 
rupting themselves and others, but that they may glorify him, 
benefit their neighbours, and save their own souls; " that 
they may observe his statutes, and keep his laws." Israel 



[PS. CVJ. 



454 



A COMMENTARY 



was delivered by Moses, and the church redeemed by Christ, 
that God might " purify to himself a peculiar people, zeal- 
ous of good works." — Titus ii. 14. 



TWENTY-FIRST DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CVL 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist here again commemorates the divine benefits, upbraiding 
withal the ingratitude of those who received them. 1,2. He exhort- 
eth men to the praise of Jehovah; 3 — 5. proclaimeth the blessedness, 
and longeth for the felicity of the saints; 6. confesseth the sins of 
Israel, and giveth a detail of their rebellions; 7 — 12. at the Red Sea; 
13 — 15. when they lusted for flesh in the wilderness; 16 — 18. in the 
matter of Korah; 19—23. in that of the golden calf; 24—27. at the 
report of the spies; 28 — 31. in the affair of Baal-Peor; 32, 33. at the 
waters of Meribah; 34 — 39. in not destroying idolatry, but being se- 
duced by it. 40 — 46. God's frequent judgments, and as frequent mer- 
cies, are related; 47. a prayer is made, that Jehovah would gather 
Israel from among the heathen, which shows the Psalm to have been 
written during some captivity, or dispersion. The last verse contains 
an act of blessing and praise. 

1. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his 
mercy endureth for ever. 

In the person of a penitent nation, the prophet invites 
mankind to " give thanks unto Jehovah," for that " good- 
ness" which preventeth us, with blessings, and for that 
"mercy" which forgiveth our transgressions; that mercy 
which was shown to our forefathers upon their repentance, 
and will " ever" be shown, upon the same condition, to us 
and our posterity; that mercy, which will bring sin and 
misery to an end, itself continuing eternal and unchangeable. 

2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can 
show forth all his praise? 

But who is sufficient for a work, which demandeth the 
tongues and harps of angels? " When you glorify the 
Lord," saith the son of Sirach, " exalt him as much as you 
can ; for even yet will he far exceed : and when you exalt 
him, put forth all your strength, and be not weary; for you 
can never go far enough." — Ecclus. xliii. 30. 



DA Y XXI. E. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



455 



3. Blessed are they that keep judgment : and he that docth 
righteousness at all times. 

Next to angels, they are " blessed," and qualified to praise 
God with the voice, who glorify him m their lives; who 
having experienced in themselves the " mighty acts" of 
mercy, pardoning the guilt, and breaking the power of sin, 
are become the servants of Jesus, and render to their Saviour 
" at all times," in adversity no less than in prosperity, the 
due tribute of unfeigned love and obedience. 

4. Remember me, O Lord, with the favour which thou 
bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation. 
5. That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice 
in the gladness of thy nation; that I may glory with thine 
inheritance. 

The Psalmist offereth a prayer for himself, or rather for 
the church of Israel, that she, with himself, might partake 
of such blessedness. The words might have a reference to 
a temporal restoration and felicity; but they certainly ex- 
tend much farther, and form the most spiritual and heavenly 
petition, that the devoutest Christian can prefer to the throne 
of grace. " Remember me, O Lord, with the favour" which 
thou hast always shown to " thy people," in whom thou hast 
delighted from the foundation of the world, and on whom it 
is thy good pleasure to confer a glorious kingdom. O 
visit me with thy salvation," with which so many patriarchs, 
prophets, and kings, have desired to be visited, the salvation 
of thy Christ, the justifier of all them that believe, and the 
re warder of his saints : " that I may see the good of thy 
chosen," their felicity in beholding thy countenance, and 
living for ever in thy presence ; "that I may rejoice in the 
gladness of thy nation," the unspeakable gladness of those 
who enter into the joy of their Lord; " and glory with thine 
inheritance," singing hallelujahs before thine everlasting- 
throne, in the Jerusalem which is above. The Israelitish 
church, when in peace and tranquillity serving her God, 
and chanting the songs of Sion, afforded a very lively re- 
presentation of this eternal felicity. 

6. We have sinned with our fathers : we have committed 
iniquity, we have done wickedly. 

They who have joined with the prophet, in his affectionate 
aspiration after the divine favour, may here learn the surest 
way to attain it; namely, by confessing their own sins, and 



456 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CVi. 



those of their ancestors. " We have sinned with our 
fathers," that is, after their example of unbelief and dis- 
obedience, of which an account immediately followeth. 
The fathers' sins are often reflected in their children, and 
each new reflection, instead of being weaker, is stronger 
than the foregoing; as in the case of the Jews. 

7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; 
they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but pro- 
voked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea. 

The Israelites did not profit, as they should have done, 
by the miracles wrought for them in Egypt ; they increased 
not in the wisdom and knowledge of God their Saviour; but 
when they saw themselves pursued by Pharaoh, their faith 
failed, they murmured against Moses, and wished themselves 
again in the bondage from which they were just delivered. — 
Exod. xiv. 10, &c. Thus, when the penitent findeth himself 
beset with difficulties and dangers; when he seeth before 
him that death unto sin, through which he must pass to a 
life of righteousness, while the devil and the world follow 
hard after him, to destroy or bring him back to a more cruel 
bondage, how apt is he to forget all that Christ hath done 
for him ! Fear puts out the light of faith, and hides the 
prospect of the promised land; imagination recalls the 
former gratifications of sense; he is tempted to regret the 
desertion of Egypt, and to wish for a return to it again. 

8. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake; that 
he might rnake his mighty power to be known. 9. He re- 
buked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up : so he led them 
through the depths, as through the wilderness. 10. And he 
saved them from the hand of him that hated them: and re- 
deemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11. And the 
waters covered their enemies : there was not one of them left. 
12. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 

Comforted and encouraged by Moses, the armies of Israel 
advanced to the shore ; and lo, the waves, at the lifting up 
of the powerful rod, instantly parted, and like" so many well 
disciplined troops, arranging themselves in two columns, dis- 
closed a new and strange path, by which the people of God 
were conducted, in perfect security, to the opposite shore ; 
when the waters falling down, and reassuming their ancient 
habitation, overwhelmed the infidel host, and left not a man 
to carry the news to Egypt. Through all the difficulties and 



DA V XXI. E. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



457 



dangers of the Christian course, faith will ever find a way 
opened, by the power of Jesus, from sin to righteousness, and 
from death to life ; the enemies of our salvation, how formi- 
dable soever, shall disappear, and be no more ; and we shall 
sing like Israel, a song of triumph, to the Lord our God. 

13. They soon for gat his works; Heb. They made haste, 
they forgat his works, they waited not for his counsel, 14. 
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God 
in the desert, 15. And he gave them their request, but sent 
leanness into their souls. 

Soon after the Israelites had experienced the power and 
goodness of Jehovah at the Red Sea, we find them murmuring 
against him, Exod. xv. 22. They grew impatient, they looked 
upon themselves as forgotten, and given over to destruction. 
They loathed manna, and required flesh ; flesh was sent them, 
on which they surfeited themselves ; the wrath of God smote 
them, and many were carried off by a grievous plague, 
Numb. xi. 4, 33. Let us learn to wait God's time and counsel, 
for the supply of necessaries, much more of conveniences; 
remembering that he hath given us his Son, and therefore 
will not deny us such inferior corporeal blessings, as he 
foreseeth will really prove blessings to us. Let us be duly 
thankful for that " bread which cometh down from heaven," 
cautious how we request the good things of this world, and 
strictly temperate in the use of them, when given. 

16. They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the 
saint of the Lord. 17. The earth opened, and swallowed up 
Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18. And a fire 
was kindled in their company ; the flame burnt up the wicked. 

Moses and Aaron were the divinely appointed governors 
of Israel, in church and state. Envy and ambition led Korah, 
Dathan, and Abiram, to accuse the former of tyranny, and 
the latter of priestcraft. Jehovah was appealed to, a day 
appointed, and a decision made. One body of the malecon- 
tents went down alive into the pit, another was consumed by 
fire from heaven. — Numb. xvi. Let schismatics and rebels 
beware of that " pit," which is bottomless, and of that "fire," 
which shall never be quenched. 

19. They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten 
image. 20. Thus they changed their glory into the simi- 
litude of an o.v that eateth grass. 21. They forgat God 
their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt . 



458 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CVI. 



22. Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible tilings 
by the Red Sea. 

While the terrible presence of God abode upon Mount 
Sinai, and Moses was gone up thither to receive the law, 
even then, and there, " at Horeb," the people apostatized to 
the old favourite sin of idolatry, and persuaded Aaron to 
make them a " calf, or ox," before which they prostrated 
themselves, acknowledging it, or the power represented by 
it, whatever that was, to have been the author of their deli- 
verance from Egypt; Exod. xxxii. for, "as to Moses, they 
knew not what was become of him," nor ever expected to 
see him any more. Thus they exchanged their "glory," 
the glory which had accompanied them in the mystic cloud, 
nay, which was then present before their eyes on the top of 
the mount, for, " an image made like to a four-footed beast," 
as it is said of the heathen in their worst estate, Rom. i. 23. 
and thus they forgot Jehovah, who had wrought his works 
and wonders for them in Egypt, and at the Red Sea. It is 
to be hoped, we shall never live to see a time, when the 
miracles of our redemption shall be forgotten; when the 
return of Jesus Christ from heaven shall be despaired of ; 
and when the people shall solicit their teachers to fabricate 
a new philosophical deity, for them to worship, instead of 
the God of their ancestors, to whom glory hath been ascribed, 
from generation to generation. 

23. Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not 
Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away 
his wrath, lest he should destroy them. 

When we hear Jehovah saying to Moses, on account of 
his people's monstrous ingratitude, and atrocious wickedness, 
" Let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, 
and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a 
great nation;" when we hear Moses, notwithstanding this, 
interceding for his countrymen, with the offended Majesty 
of heaven; urging to God the glory of his name, the rela- 
tion in which he stood to Israel, the covenant he had made 
with their fathers; and if they must be cast off, desiring 
himself to perish with them; "if thou wilt, forgive their 
sin ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which 
thou hast written;" how are we astonished at an instance 
of such invincible fortitude, fervent piety, unadulterated pa- 
triotism, triumphant faith, and unbounded charity ! Once, 



BAY XXI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



459 



and but once, was this instance exceeded, by Him, in whose 
name the intercession of Moses was made and accepted; 
who, really taking upon himself the sins of his people, 
suffered the vengeance due to them; and who is now at 
the right hand of God, interceding for us all. See Exod. 
xxxii. 10—14, 32. 

24. Yea, they despised the pleasant land : they believed not 
his word : 25. But murmured in their tents, and hearkened 
not unto the voice of the Lord. 26. Therefore he lifted up his 
hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness. 
27. To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to 
scatter them in the lands. 

The history here alluded to is contained in Numb. xiii. 
and xiv. The spies brought back a favourable account of 
the promised land, and its productions, but communicated 
to the people those terrible apprehensions, with which them- 
selves were possessed, concerning the power of the Anakims, 
and other inhabitants of Canaan. Infidelity presently dis- 
covered itself, by its usual fruit, disobedience. They thought 
they should never be able to surmount all these difficulties, 
but should become a prey, with their wives and children, to 
the sword ; and a return to Egypt was once more the cry of 
the camp of Israel. Therefore did Jehovah " lift up his 
hand against them;" he declared, that none of the genera- 
tion then in being, Joshua and Caleb only excepted, should 
enter into his rest, but that they should fall in the wilderness, 
without setting foot in that pleasant and most desirable 
land. Discomfiture and dispersion were also threatened to 
their posterity, that is, if they should go on in the same 
spirit of rebellion, and fill up the measure of their fathers' 
iniquities; which they have since done, and are accordingly 
" overthrown among the nations, and scattered among the 
lands" to this day. But do not thou suffer us, O Lord, to 
despise that " pleasant land," which thou designedst to be 
the inheritance of thy saints ; whatever obstructions may be 
thrown in our way, suffer us not, through sloth and cowardice, 
to "disbelieve thy word," to doubt the accomplishment of 
thy promises, or to "murmur" against thy dispensations. 

28. They joined themselves also unto Baal-Peor, and ate 
the sacrifices of the dead. 29. Thus they provoked him to 
anger with their inventions : and the plague brake in upon 
them. 30. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judg- 



460 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cvr. 



merit: and 60 the -plague was stayed. 31. And that was 
counted unto him for righteousness, unto all generations for 
evermore. 

By Balaam's advice, Numb. xxxi. 16. the Moabites and 
Midianites sent their daughters among the people of Israel, 
who soon yielded to the temptation, and fornication ended 
in idolatry ; nay, perhaps, it might be a part of the Moabitish 
ritual ; as we know it was among the religious services paid 
by the latter heathens to some of their deities. By the 
" sacrifices of the dead," may be meant sacrifices which were 
offered either to dead idols, or to men deified after death. 
To punish this apostasy, the wrath of Jehovah went forth, 
and 24,000 perished by the plague, which at length ceased, 
when Phinehas had " executed judgment " upon Zimri and 
Cosbi, who seemed, indeed, to call aloud for it, by indulging 
their lawless passions in the midst of so grievous a calamity, 
at a time when the whole congregation were humbling them- 
selves before God, at the door of the tabernacle. " Where- 
fore," saith God, " behold, I give unto him my covenant of 
peace ; and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the 
covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous 
for his God, and made an atonement for the children of 
Israel." — Numb. xxv. 12. It is most probable, as Dr. Ham- 
mond observes, that Phinehas, being the son of Eleazar, the 
son of Aaron, was one of the judges of Israel; and if so, he 
had a clear commission for what he did, from Moses, who 
had " said to the judges of Israel, slay ye every one his man 
that were joined to Baal-Peor." — Numb. xxv. 5. The case of 
Phinehas, therefore, is no precedent for uncommissioned 
zealots. In general we learn from this part of the sacred 
history, how acceptable to God is a well-timed zeal for his 
service ; as also, how dangerous it is to converse too freely 
with those of the other sex, especially when they have been 
educated in a false religion, or in no religion at all. 

32. They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that 
it went ill with Moses for their sakes : 33. Because they pro- 
voked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. 

This instance of disobedience was, in point of time, prior 
to that mentioned in the preceding verses. It is related, 
Numb. xx. 2 — 13. The spirit of Moses, though he was the 
meekest man upon earth, was so exasperated and imbittered 
by continual murmurings and rebellions, that he is charged 



DAY XXI. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



461 



with " not having believed God, to sanctify him in the eyes 
of the children of Israel;" and he was, on that account, 
denied the honour of bringing them into the land of promise. 
He had been commanded to smite the rock, that water might 
come forth. In anger he smote it twice, thus upbraiding the 
people, — "Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water 
out of this rock? " He showed not that affiance in God, that 
disposition to glorify him before his people, which became 
him in the execution of his office. — " The wrath of man" 
found admission, and that worketh not the righteousness of 
God." Thou, blessed Jesus, art the only perfect pattern of 
patience and love; O grant to all, but above all, to the 
pastors of thy flock, a " spirit" not easy to be " provoked," 
and lips not hasty to " speak unadvisedly." 

34. They did not destroy the nations ', concerning whom 
the Lord commanded them. 35. But were mingled among 
the heathen and learned their works. 36. And they served 
their idols : which were a snare unto them. 

When the iniquity of the Canaanites was full, it pleased 
God to extirpate the race, and Israel was commissioned to 
execute upon them the vengeance determined. But the 
conquerors suffered themselves frequently to be seduced into 
all the abominations of the conquered, and spared their 
idolatrous altars, till themselves came to bow down before 
them. — Judges ii. 2, 3. The Canaanites, against whom we 
Christians militate, are our lusts, which, if they are spared 
and treated with, will prove " a snare" to us, and in time 
become our masters. Mercy, shown to them, is cruelty to 
ourselves, and will always be found so in the end. 

37. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters 
unto devils : 38. And shed innocent blood, even the blood of 
their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed 
unto the idols of Canaan : and the land was polluted with 
blood. 

It is plain, that the " devils," mentioned in the former of 
these two verses, are "the idols of Canaan," mentioned in 
the latter. The word translated " devils," is D"HtD literally, 
"the pourers forth;" by which it is highly probable, that 
the idolaters meant the great agents of nature, or the heavens, 
considered as giving rain, causing the earth to send out 
springs, and to put forth her increase, vegetables to yield 
and nourish their fruit, and animals to abound with milk, 



462 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. evi. 



for the subsistence of their young. # Idolatry being a work 
of the devil, it is true, in fact, that what is offered to an 
idol, is offered to the devil ; though the word D^tt) doth by 
no means imply it. We stand astonished, doubtless, at 
this horrid, barbarous, and unnatural impiety, of offering 
children by fire to a Moloch : but how little is it considered, 
that children, brought up in the ways of ignorance, error, 
vanity, folly, and vice, are more effectually sacrificed to the 
great adversary of mankind ! 

39. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went 
a whoring with their own inventions. 40. Therefore was the 
wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, insomuch that 
he abhorred his own inheritance. 41. And he gave them into 
the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over 
them. 42. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were 
brought into subjection under their hand. 43. Many times 
did he deliver them, but they provoked him with their counsel, 
and were brought low for their iniquity. 44. Nevertheless he 
regarded their affliction when he heard their cry. 45. And 
he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according 
to the multitude of his mercies. 46. He made them also to 
be pitied of all those that carried them away captives. 

This is an epitome of the history of the Israelites, from the 
time when they took possession of Canaan, downwards. 
Transgressions brought on chastisements; chastisements 
produced repentance ; and repentance obtained mercy. For 
their last and grand rebellion against the Son of God, and 
their King Messiah, whom they murdered, the sore burden 
of heaven's displeasure hath now rested upon the nation, 
these seventeen hundred years; but their eyes are not yet 
opened; their hearts have not, hitherto, relented. How hath 
the " wrath of Jehovah been kindled against his people, inso- 
much that he hath abhorred his own inheritance ! " How hath 
he " given them into the hand of the heathen, and caused 
them that hated them to rule over them ! " How have " their 
enemies oppressed them;" how have they been "brought 
into subjection under their hand! Nevertheless, O Lord, 
regard their affliction, when thou hearest their cry;" grant 
them repentance first, and then pardon; " remember for them 
thy covenant;" let them change their mind, and do thou 

* See the account given of the word by the learned and ingenious Mr. 
Parkhurst, in his excellent Hebrew-English Lexicon. 



DAY XXII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



463 



" change thy purpose, according to the multitude of thy 
mercies; make them also to be pitied of all those that have 
carried them captives;" cause them, upon their conversion, 
to find favour in the eyes of the nations ; and do Thou, who 
hast so long been " a light to lighten the Gentiles," become 
once more " the glory of thy people Israel." 

47. Save us, O Lord, our God, and gather us from among 
the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to tri- 
umph in thy praise. 

It appears from this verse, that the Psalm was written at 
a time when Israel was in captivity " among the heathen." 
Such will be the petition of the Jews hereafter to him whom 
they crucified; and such is now the petition of the Christian 
church, that the elect may be finally gathered together, and 
united in one congregation, " to give thanks unto the name, 
and triumph for ever in the praises, of Jesus." 

48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting 
to everlasting, and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye 
the Lord. 

At all times, in all places, and by all persons, on earth 
and in heaven, in prosperity and adversity, peace or per- 
secution, "the Lord God of Israel," the Saviour and Re- 
deemer of his church, is to be " blessed;" nor can any si- 
tuation exempt a believer from saying, "Amen, Hallelujah ; " 
that is, from blessing God himself, and exciting others to 
do the same. 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The redeemed of the Lord are exhorted, in this Psalm, 1 — 3. to praise 
him for his goodness in redeeming and gathering them from the four 
quarters of the world. Their danger and their deliverance are repre- 
sented under the four striking images, 4 — 9. of travellers lost in a wilder- 
ness, but directed and conducted home; 10 — 16. of prisoners rescued 
from captivity; 17 — 22. of sick and dying men restored to health; 
23 — 32. of mariners preserved in a storm at sea, and brought safe into 
port. 33 — 41. Some other instances of God's providence in the govern- 
ment of the world, and of the church, are adduced and insisted on, for, 
42. the consolation of the righteous, and, 43. instruction of all. 

1. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good : for his 



464 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CVII. 



mercy endureth for ever, 2. Let the redeemed of the Lord 
say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy: 
3. And gathered them out of the lands, from the east and 
froyn the west, from the north and from the south. 

Eternal mercy is the theme here proposed ; and they who 
have tasted its sweets, are invited to join in setting forth its 
praises. The members of the Christian church are now, in 
the most proper and emphatical sense of the words, " the 
redeemed of Jehovah, whom he hath redeemed from the 
hand of the enemy, and gathered them," by the gospel, out 
of all lands, and from all the four quarters of the world, to 
form a church, and to supply the place of the apostate Jews ; 
whose forefathers experienced, in type and shadow, the good 
things prepared for them and for us, in truth and substance. 
" Many," saith our Lord to the Jews, " shall come from the 
east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the 
south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God — and 
you yourselves shall be thrust out." — Matt. viii. 11. Luke 
xiii. 29. We, converted Gentiles, are the happy people, 
and we are taught in this Psalm to celebrate that mercy 
which made us so. 

4. They wandered in the wilderness, in a solitary way, 
they found no city to dwell in. 5. Hungry and thirsty, 
their soul fainted in them. 6. Then they cried unto the 
Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their 
distresses. 7. And he led them forth by the right way, that 
they might go to a city of habitation. 

The spiritual blessings of redemption are represented by 
the Psalmist under four exquisitely beautiful and expressive 
images; which images are themselves four special acts of 
God's providential care and love, shown toward the bodies 
of men in the world ; corresponding with as many works of 
grace, wrought on the souls of believers in the church. The 
first of these pictures exhibiteth to our view a set of travellers 
lost in a pathless desert, and well nigh famished, through 
want of necessary provisions. They make their distresses 
known by prayer to Jehovah, and lo, he appears, as their 
guard, and their guide ; he supplies all their necessities upon 
the journey, and conducts them in safety to their place of 
abode. Thus he dealt with Israel of old, in their passage, 
through the waste and howling wilderness, from Egypt to 
Canaan. And thus he is ready to deal with us all. " The 



DAY XXII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



465 



world/' saith Lord Bolingbroke,* " is a great wilderness, 
wherein mankind have wandered about from the creation. — 
We are not only passengers, or sojourners, but absolute 
strangers at the first steps we make in it." We are so, 
indeed ; and too often, through our own fault, continue such 
to the last; we find not the way which leads to heaven, 
nor, if we did find it, have we strength to travel in it, with- 
out the viaticum which cometh from thence, and which alone 
can bring us thither. Fervent and importunate prayer to 
the God of our salvation will procure from above, know- 
ledge to dispel our ignorance, and grace to help our infir- 
mities ; the former will discover to us our road, the latter 
will enable us to walk in it, and both together will carry 
us, in due time, to " the city of our eternal habitation." 

8. O that men would 'praise the Lord for his goodness, and 
for his wonderful works to the children of men. 9. For he 
satisjieth the longing, or, thirsty soul, and Jilleth the hungry 
soul with gladness. 

The former of these two verses is a chorus, repeated after 
the celebration of each of the four mercies here related. 
Literally it is, " Let them acknowledge to Jehovah his 
mercy, and his wonders for the children of Adam." And what 
can better deserve our acknowledgment, than the provision 
made for the bodies and souls of Christian travellers, in their 
way to that heavenly country and city, where " they shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the 
sun light on them, nor any heat ; for the Lamb which is in 
the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them 
unto living fountains of waters : and God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes." — Rev. vii. 17. 

10. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 
being bound in affliction and iron : 11. Because they rebelled 
against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the 
Most High : 12. Therefore he brought down their heart with 
labour ; they fell down, and there was none to help. 13. Then 
they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them 
out of their distresses. 14. He brought them out of darkness, 
and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder, 
15. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for 
his wonderful works to the chikfren of men ! 16. For he hath 
broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. 
* Reflections on History, vol. i. p. 244, and 171. 
2 H 



466 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CVlt. 



In this second piece of divine scenery, we behold a people 
groaning under all the miseries of captivity, deprived of 
light and liberty, chained down in horrid dungeons, and 
there expecting the day of execution. These calamities they 
are represented as having brought upon themselves, by their 
rebellion against God, who takes this method of humbling 
them. It succeeds, and brings them upon their knees to 
Him, who alone is able to deliver them. Moved by their 
cries, he exerts his power on their behalf, and frees them 
from the house of bondage. To a state of corporal servi- 
tude, the Israelites, for their transgressions, were frequently 
reduced, and many times experienced, upon their repentance, 
the goodness of Jehovah in rescuing them from it. But 
the grand and universal captivity, is that of sin and death ; 
the grand and universal deliverance, for which all the re- 
deemed of the Lord ought to praise his mercy is that by 
Jesus Christ. Adam and all his posterity "rebelled against 
the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the Most 
High." By so doing, they subjected themselves to a slavery, 
the heaviest and bitterest of all others. The devil led them 
captive at his will, and set over them their own insatiable 
lusts and passions, as so many taskmasters, to afflict and 
keep them under. By these the soul is confined so close in 
prison, and bound with so many chains, that it cannot get 
forth to do the will of God, even when that is made known 
to it. Of mankind in this state, how truly may it be said, 
and how often in scripture is it said, under these, and the 
like figures, " They sit in darkness, and in the shadow of 
death, being fast bound in misery, and" bands stronger than 
"iron — He also brought down their heart through heaviness, 
they fell down, and there was none to help ! " A sense of 
this, his woful condition, forces the sinner to " cry unto the 
Lord Jesus in his trouble," and to say, " O wretched man 
that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death ! 
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto 
thy name." And now, his prayer is heard, the grace of 
Christ cometh to his assistance, and he is made " free 
indeed." His chains, like those of St. Peter, fall off at the 
word of his deliverer ; he is " saved out of his distress ; he 
is brought out of darkness and the shadow of death," into 
the glorious light and liberty of the sons of God. The joy 
consequent upon such a deliverance, will be exceeded only 



DAY XXII. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS, 



467 



by that which shall take place in the hearts, and be ex- 
pressed by the voices of the redeemed, on the day when 
Christ shall accomplish the redemption of their bodies also, 
as he hath already effected that of his own from the power 
of the grave ; when he shall dash in pieces the brazen gates 
and adamantine bars of that prison-house, put an end for 
ever to the bondage of corruption, and lead captivity captive 
into the highest heavens. 

17. Fools because of their transgressions, and because of 
their iniquities, are afflicted. 18. Their soul abhor reth all 
manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death. 
19. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, he saveth 
them out of their distresses. 20. He sent his word, and 
healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 
21. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and 
for his wonderful works to the children of men. 22. And let 
them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his 
works with rejoicing. 

The recovery of men from sickness affords a third image 
of the benefits conferred on our nature by the Redeemer. 
Sickness, as we are here informed, is the punishment of hu- 
man folly and iniquity. When it is extreme, it deprives man 
of all relish and appetite for his food ; nay, it makes him 
loathe and detest the very sight and smell of that which 
should nourish and support him ; in which case, he must 
waste away, and soon "draw near to the gates of death." But 
from those dreadful gates the power of God can snatch us, 
when we are just about to enter them. To an infirm and 
emaciated body he can restore health, strength, and beauty ; 
for diseases are his ministers and messengers ; they visit us 
at his command, and at his command they retire, and we 
recover again. The Israelites in the wilderness, " because 
of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, were 
often afflicted" with a plague. But when they repented, 
and atonement was made, the plague ceased. They were 
stung by fiery serpents ; but when they " cried unto Jeho- 
vah, he sent his Word, and healed them. They were trou- 
bled," as the author of the book of Wisdom observes, "for 
a small season, that they might be admonished, having a 
sign of salvation to put them in remembrance of the com- 
mandment of thy law. For he that turned himself toward 
it, was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by thee who 

2 h 2 



468 A COMMENTARY [PS. CVIT. 

art the Saviour of all."— Wisd. xvi. 6, 7. Sentence of death 
was passed upon Hezekiah ; he already saw himself at "the 
gates of the grave," and expected no more to "behold man 
with the inhabitants of the world." Yet his prayer pre- 
vailed for a respite, and fifteen years were added to his life. 
— Isa. xxxviii. Now the mind, by reason of sin, is not less 
subject to infirmities than the body. These infirmities re- 
duce a man to a state of languor and listlessness ; he finds 
himself incapable of action, indisposed for the reception of 
divine truths, without taste for knowledge, or inclination for 
virtue ; he even nauseates the book of God, and the bread 
of heaven ; and the life of faith is in great danger. But 
the case is not desperate, while there is breath enough left 
to call in, by prayer, the great Physician of spirits. The 
most inveterate malady gives place to his efficacious medi- 
cines ; appetite revives, health returns, and the believer is 
reinstated in the vigour and beauty of holiness. Let all 
who have been thus " healed, and saved from destruction," 
either of body or soul, " acknowledge to Jehovah his mercy, 
and his wonders wrought for the children of Adam : let 
them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare 
his works with rejoicing." 

23. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business 
in great waters : 24. These see the works of the Lord, and 
his wonders in the deep. 25. For he commandeth, and raiseth 
the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26. They 
mount up to heaven, they go down again to the depths, their 
soul is melted because of trouble. 27. They reel to and fro, 
and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wifs end ; 
Heb. all their wisdom or skill is swallowed up. 28. Then 
they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them 
out of their distresses. 29. He maketh the stolen a calm, so 
that the waves thereof are still. 30. Then are they glad be- 
cause they be quiet : so he bringeth them unto their desired 
haven. 31.0 that men would praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! 
32. Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, 
and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 

The fourth similitude chosen to portray the dangers of 
our present state, and the goodness of God displayed in our 
salvation, is taken from that signal instance of the divine 
power and providence, the preservation of mariners in a 



DA Y XXLI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



469 



storm at sea. The description which the Psalmist hath given 
us of such an event admitteth of no comment. Experience 
alone can illustrate its beauty, evince its truth, and point 
out the propriety of the circumstances which are selected to 
furnish us with a full and complete idea of the whole. Few 
of us, indeed, are ever likely to be in that terrible situation. 
But then, we cannot help reflecting, that there is a ship, in 
which we are all embarked ; there is a troubled sea, on which 
we all sail ; there are storms, by which we are all frequently 
overtaken ; and there is a haven, which we all desire to be- 
hold, and to enter. For the church is a ship ; the world is 
a sea; temptations, persecutions, and afflictions are the waves 
of it ; the prince of the power of the air is the stormy wind 
which raises them ; and heaven is the only port of rest and 
security. Often during the voyage, for our punishment, or 
our trial, God permitteth us to be thus assaulted. The suc- 
cession and the violence of our trouble, the elevations and 
depressions of mind and fortune, the uncertainty of our coun- 
sels, and our utter inability to help ourselves, are finely repre- 
. sented by the multitude and impetuosity of the waves, the 
tossings and agitations of the vessel, the confusion, terror, 
and distress among the sailors. In both cases, prayer is the 
proper effect, and the only remedy left. With the earnest- 
ness of affrighted mariners, who will then be devout, though 
they never were so before, we should " cry unto the Lord 
Jesus in our trouble;" we should, as it were, "awake" him, 
like the disciples, with repetitions of " Lord, save us, we 
perish ! " Then will he arise, and rebuke the authors of our 
tribulation, saying unto them, " Peace, be still ;" and they 
shall hear and obey his voice. " He will make the storm 
a calm, so that the waves thereof shall be still ; " and at 
length he will "bring us," in peace, joy, and gladness, "to 
our desired haven," there to "exalt him in the congregation 99 
of his chosen, and "praise him in the" great "assembly" of 
saints and angels. This is the consummation so devoutly 
wished and requested by the church for all her children, at 
the time of their baptism, that they, " being delivered from 
God's wrath, may be received into the Ark of Christ's 
church ; and being stedfast in faith, joyful through hope, 
and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this trouble- 
some world, that finally they may come to the land of ever- 
lasting life.' 1 Thus we see there is no spiritual evil, out of 



470 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CVII. 



which God is not both able and willing to deliver us, when 
we call upon him. Are we ignorant of the way to the 
heavenly city? He will guide and conduct us thither. Are 
we bound with the chains of sin and death ? He will loose 
and deliver us. Are our minds diseased and languid ? He 
will heal and invigorate them. Are we in danger of being 
overwhelmed by the troubles of the world? He will pre- 
serve us in the midst of them, until he bid them cease. Of 
his power and inclination to do these things for our souls, he 
hath given assurance to all men, by those pledges of his 
love, the benefits and blessings conferred on the bodies of 
his people, in leading them through the wilderness to Ca- 
naan ; in rescuing them so often from the miseries of cap- 
tivity ; in healing their diseases ; and in saving those of 
them, who " did business in great waters," from the perils 
of the sea. Certainly, the mind of man cannot have a 
nobler subject for meditation in this world, than the won- 
ders of providence, considered as representing the mercies 
of redemption. 

33. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water 
springs into dry ground. 34. A fruitful land into barren- 
ness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. 35. He 
turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground 
into water springs ; 36. And there he maketh the hungry to 
dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; 37. And 
sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits 
of increase. 38. He blessed them also, so that they are mul- 
tiplied greatly, and suffer eth not their cattle to decrease. 

In this latter part of the Psalm, the prophet farther exem- 
plifieth the power, the justice, and the goodness of God ; his 
power, in being able to change the very nature of things ; 
his justice, and his goodness, in so doing, either to punish 
the rebellious, or to reward the obedient. A well watered 
and fertile country shall, for the sins of its inhabitants, be 
converted into a dry and a barren one. The plain of Jordan, 
which, before the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, was 
"well watered every where, like the garden of Jehovah," 
Gen. xiii. 10, hath, since that overthrow, been a land of salt, 
and sulphur, and perpetual sterility. Nay, even the once 
fruitful Palestine itself, that flowed with milk and honey, is 
at this day a region of such utter desolation, that the very 
possibility of its ever having sufficed to maintain the people 



DAY XXII. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



471 



who formerly possessed it, is now called in question. And 
indeed, while the rain of heaven shall continue to be in the 
hand of God, how easy it is for him, by withholding it during 
a few months, to blast all the most promising hopes of man ; 
and, instead of plenty, joy, and health, to visit him with 
famine, pestilence, and death ! On the other hand, when 
the ways of a people please him, he can rid them of these 
dreadful guests ; the rain shall descend from above, the 
springs shall rise from beneath, the earth shall yield her 
increase, the cattle shall feed in large pastures, the seasons 
shall be kindly, the air salutary, and the smiling face of na- 
ture shall attest the loving-kindness of the Lord. Thus, in 
the dispensations of grace, hath he dealt with Jews and 
Gentiles. The synagogue of the former, once rich in faith, 
watered with the benedictions of heaven, fruitful in prophets 
and saints, adorned with the services of religion, and the 
presence of Jehovah, hath been, since the murder of the Son 
of God, cursed with infidelity, parched like the withered 
tops of the mountains of Gilboa, barren and desolate as the 
land of their ancient residence, whose naked rocks seem to 
declare to all the world the hard-heartedness and unprofit- 
ableness of its old possessors. When the " fruitful field " 
thus became a " forest," the "wilderness," at the same time, 
became a "fruitful field." A church was planted in the 
Gentile world, and " the Spirit was poured out upon it from 
on high." In that "wilderness did waters break out, and 
streams in that desert." There was faith sown, and holiness 
was the universal product. " The wilderness and the soli- 
tary place was glad, and the desert rejoiced, and blossomed 
as the rose. It blossomed abundantly, and rejoiced even 
with joy and singing ; the glory of Lebanon was given unto 
it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon ; " the privileges and 
honours of the synagogue were conferred upon the church ; 
and the nations now " saw the glory of Jehovah and the 
excellency of God." — Isa. xxxii. 15. xxxv. 1, 2. Spiritual 
increase, health, and plenty, spiritual peace, joy, and hap- 
piness, appeared in beauteous and lovely procession, and 
the blessing of Jesus was upon this his new inheritance, 
in every way. 

39. Again they are minished, and brought loiv, through 
oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 40. He poureth contempt 
upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, 



472 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CVII. 



where there is no way. 41. Yet setteth he the poor on high 
from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. 

But let not those who have received the largest share of 
heaven's favours, therefore boast and presume. The conti- 
nuance of those favours dependeth upon the continuance of 
their fidelity and obedience. Mighty empires, with their 
"princes," have, for their wickedness, been " brought low" 
by the arm of Jehovah, and laid in the dust, while nations, 
"poor," and feeble, and never thought of, have "been taken 
from thence, and exalted over them." What revolutions have, 
in like manner, happened, and, probably, are still to happen, 
in the church ! Jerusalem is fallen, through unbelief ; and 
the Gentile church standeth only by faith, from which if she 
depart, vengeance will be executed on her likewise. Yet, 
even in the worst of times, there is a promise, that " the 
poor" in spirit, the faithful and humble disciples of the holy 
Jesus, shall be preserved from the evil, and " set on high 
from affliction;" yea, that they shall be multiplied "like a 
flock," under the care of the good Shepherd, to preserve his 
name, and to continue a church upon the earth, until he 
shall return again. 

42. The righteous shall see, and rejoice ; and all iniquity 
shall stop her mouth. 

Two consequences will follow from this alternate display 
of the mercy and the judgment of God. The righteous, 
finding themselves still the objects of the former, will have 
cause to rejoice and give thanks ; and the wicked, when 
visited with the latter, will be forced, by their silence at least, 
to own that their punishment is just. This will certainly 
be the case at the last day, when the dispensations of God, 
and the perfect rule of equity observed in them, shall be 
manifested to all the world. 

43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they 
shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. Or, Who 
is wise? and he will observe these things ; and they shall 
understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. 

A truly "wise" person will treasure up in his heart the 
contents of this most instructive and delightful Psalm. By 
so doing, he will fully "understand" and comprehend the 
weakness and wretchedness of man, and the power and 
" loving-kindness " of God, who, not for our merit, but for his 
mercy's sake, dispelleth our ignorance, breaketh off our sins, 



DAY XXII. E. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 473 

htaleth our infirmities, preserveth us in temptations, placeth 
us in his church, enricheth us with his grace, sheltereth 
us from persecution, blesseth us in time, and will crown us 
in eternity. 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is composed of parts taken, without any material alteration, 
from two others. The first five verses occur in Ps. lvii. 7 — 11. the 
last eight are found in Ps. lx. 5 — 12. The reader is therefore referred 
to the exposition already given of those Psalms. 



PSALM CIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

St. Peter, Acts i. 20. hath taught us to apply the predictions in this Psalm 
to the betrayers and murderers of Messiah, who is, consequently, the 
person here speaking, and, 1 — 5. complaining of the injuries which he 
suffered from them ; after which, 6 — 20. he forewarneth them of all the 
judgments and sore calamities that should come upon them and their 
posterity ; 21 — 25. he returneth to the subject of his passion ; 26 — 29. 
repeateth his supplications for himself and his church; and, 30, 31. 
concludeth with an act of praise. In this light was the Psalm considered 
and interpreted in the ancient church, by Chrysostom, Jerome, Augus- 
tine, Theodoret, and others. 

1. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise : i.e. who art 
the subject of my praise. 2. For the mouth of the wicked, and 
the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me : they have 
spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3. They compassed 
me about also with ivords of hatred ; and fought against me 
without a cause. 4. For my love they are my adversaries : 
but I give myself unto prayer. 5. And they have rewarded 
me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 

The holy Jesus, in these words, maketh supplication to the 
Father for redress and deliverance. He complaineth of the 
manner in which he was treated, when " he came unto his 
own, and his own received him not/'-— John i. 11. Some- 



474 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CIX. 



times, "the mouth of the wicked was opened upon him,"* 
roaring against him like the roaring of lions, while they cried 
out, " He is a Samaritan, and hath a devil, and is mad ; 
Away with him, away with him, Crucify him, crucify him." 
Sometimes, "deceitful and lying tongues" were employed, 
either to entangle and entrap him in his talk, or to bear false 
witness against him. And all this was done, not only 
"without a cause," but men were his bitter and implacable 
"adversaries, in return for" that "love" which brought him 
from heaven, to save them with an everlasting salvation. Let 
the afflicted and traduced disciple rejoice, in that he is con- 
formed to the image of his Master. And from the example 
of that Master let him learn what course to take, when in 
such circumstances—" But I give myself unto prayer." 

6. j" Thou wilt set a wicked man, or, the wicked one over 
him, and Satan shall stand at his right hand. 7. When 
he is judged, he shall be condemned, and his 'prayer shall 
become sin. 

A transition is here made to the adversaries of Messiah ; 
primarily to Judas, " who was guide to them that took 
Jesus ;" Acts i. 16. secondarily to the synagogue, of whom 
Judas may be considered as an epitome and representative. 
It is foretold, that by betraying and murdering the best of 
Masters, they should subject themselves to the tyranny of the 
worst ; that they should become slaves to the " wicked one," 
who should justly be " set over them," when they had deli 
vered themselves into his hands; that "Satan," who had 
stood by them to tempt them, should " stand at their right 
hand" to accuse them at the tribunal of God; that when 
tried, they would be convicted and "condemned," and even 
their "prayer" would be abomination in the sight of the 
Lord, as being offered without true contrition and repent- 
ance, without faith, hope, or charity. Such is the wretched 
state of the Jews, estranged from God, and in bondage to 

* Ha&c autem cecinit David spirituali sensu in persona Christi a Judseis 
impetiti omnimodis blasphemiis. — Bossuet. 

f As most of the following verbs are in the future tense, and the rest 
have evidently a predictive and future import, the same liberty is here 
taken, as in Psalm lxix. of rendering them throughout uniformly in that 
tense ; by which means the curses pronounced in this Psalm will at once 
appear to be of the same import with those in the 28th chapter of Deutero- 
nomy. The reader is entreated, when he shall have perused the Psalm, 
to turn to that chapter, and judge for himself. 



DAY XXII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



475 



the devil ; such the prayers, which, from hardened and ma- 
lignant hearts, they continually utter, for the excision of all 
Christians, and for the extirpation of that blessed Name, on 
which Christians call. These prayers, instead of lightening 
the burden of their sins, certainly add to its weight. Enable 
us, O Lord Jesu, to resist Satan as a tempter, that he may 
not be our accuser ; and grant us always so to pray, that 
our prayers may be heard. 

8. His clays shall be few, and another take his office. 
This is the verse which St. Peter hath cited and applied, 

in his discourse to the disciples, at the election of Matthias 
into the place of Judas. "Men and brethren, this scripture 
must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by 
the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, who was 
guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with 
us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man 
purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling 
headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels 
gushed out — For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his 
habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein : and, 
His bishoprick let another take." The former of these two 
citations is made from Ps. lxix. 25. the latter is a part of 
the verse now before us. If Judas, therefore, be the person 
whose destruction the sufferer foretelleth, the person speak- 
ing in this prophetical Psalm must of necessity be our Lord 
himself, who suffered by the treachery of Judas. In Ps, 
lxix. 25. the prediction is in the plural number, " Their 
habitation shall be void ; " yet St. Peter applies it, in the 
singular number, to Judas. The passage in our Psalm is 
singular, yet applicable not to Judas only, but to the whole 
nation of the Jews ; whose "days," after they had crucified 
the Lord of glory, "were few;" who were dispossessed of 
the place and " office" which they held as the church of 
God, and to which, with all its honours and privileges, the 
Gentile Christian church succeeded in their stead, when the 
Aaronical priesthood was abolished, and that of the true 
Melchisedek established for ever. 

9. His children shall be fatherless, and his wife a widow. 
12. His children shall be continually vagabonds, and beg: 
they shall seek their bread also oat of desolate places. 

If, by the wretched death of Judas, his wife became a 
widow, and his children orphans, vagabonds, and beggars, 



476 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CIX. 



their fate was but a prelude to that of thousands and ten 
thousands of the same nation, whose husbands and fathers 
came afterward to a miserable end, at the destruction of 
Jerusalem. Their children, and children's children, have 
since been " continually vagabonds " upon the earth, in the 
state of Cain when he had murdered his righteous brother, 
not cut off, but marvellously preserved for punishment and 
woe. Having nothing of their own, they roam through all 
parts of the world, civilized or barbarous, the scorn and 
contempt of mankind. And even if they are able to amass 
wealth, their unparalleled avarice still keeps them poor and 
beggarly in the midst of it. Thus Dr. Hammond, in his 
Annotation on those verses — " By this is described, in a 
very lively manner, the condition of the Jewish posterity, 
ever since their ancestors fell under that signal vengeance, 
for the crucifying of Christ. First, their desolations and 
vastations in their own country ; and being ejected thence, 
Secondly, their continual wanderings from place to place, 
scattered over the face of the earth ; and, Thirdly, their 
remarkable covetousness, keeping them always poor and 
beggarly, be they never so rich, and continually labouring 
and moiling for gain as the poorest are wont to do; and this 
is continually the constant curse attending this people, 
wheresoever they are scattered." 

11. The extortioner, or, creditor shall catch, or, seize all 
that he hath, and the stranger shall spoil his labour. 12. 
There shall be none to extend mercy to him : neither shall 
there be any to favour his fatherless children. 

Since the destruction of Jerusalem, how often hath this 
race been seized, pillaged, stripped, and impoverished, by 
prince and people, in all the nations of the known world, 
none appearing, as in other cases, to " favour and extend 
mercy" to them!* " They have had no nation, none to 
avenge their grievous wrong, which the Lord God of their 
forefathers had ordained they should suffer, at all times, and 
in all places, wheresover they have come, without redress. 
Nay, their general carriage hath been so odious and prepos- 
terous, that albeit the Christian magistrates had conspired 

* Thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall 
save thee — The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation, 
which thou knowest not, eat up, and thou 'shalt be only oppressed and 
crushed alway. — Deut. xxviii. 29, 33. 



DAY XXII. E. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



477 



together for their good, they would themselves have certainly 
provoked their own misery." Thus that excellent divine, 
the learned and pious Dr. Jackson, vol. i. p. 142, and 135, 
whose reflections upon the history of the Jews, at and since 
their dispersion, it were to be wished that every Christian 
could peruse. For, as he himself observes, " Christian pa- 
rents, whether bodily or spiritual, should be as careful to 
instruct their children what the Lord hath done to these 
Jews, as the Israelites should have been to tell their sons 
what God had done to Pharaoh." — Ibid. p. 152. 

13. His posterity shall be cut off, and in the generation 
following, their name shall be blotted out. 14. The iniquity 
of his fathers shall be remembered with the Lord, and the sin 
of his mother shall not be blotted out. 15. They shall be 
before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory 
of them from the earth. 

The traitorous and rebellious " posterity " of traitorous and 
rebellious parents suffered an " excision" by the Roman 
sword, and "in the generation following, their name," as a 
church and civil polity, was "blotted out" of the list of 
states and kingdoms upon earth. " The iniquity of their 
fathers," which they had filled up, "was remembered with 
Jehovah, and the sin of their mother," that is, perhaps, of the 
synagogue of Jerusalem, now in bondage with their children, 
" was not blotted out ; that upon them might come all the 
righteous blood shed, from the blood of righteous Abel unto 
the blood of Zacharias, whom they slew between the temple 
and the altar." — Matt. xxii. 25. The blood of the prophets 
cried for vengeance against those who crucified the Lord of 
the prophets. God hid not his face any longer from all 
these horrible transgressions, but " they were before him 
continually," and occasioned him to " cut off the memory" 
of his people, once precious and fragrant "from the earth;" 
so that while apostles and martyrs are annually commemo- 
rated with honour, and their good deeds, blossoming out of 
the dust, perfume the church, and delight the souls of the 
faithful, the names of " Judas" and "Jew," are never men- 
tioned but with contempt and abhorrence. 

16. Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but 
persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay 
the broken in heart. 

The crime which brought upon its perpetrators all the 



478 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CIX. 



above-mentioned judgments and calamities, is here pointed 
out too plainly to be mistaken. They "remembered not to 
show mercy" to him, who showed it to all the world ; they 
" persecuted " him who for our sakes became "poor," and 
who condescended to ask of his creatures water to drink ; 
they betrayed and murdered the lowly and afflicted Jesus, 
whose "heart" was "broken" with sorrow for their sins, and 
with a sense of the punishment due to them. How long- 
will it be, ere the brethren of this most innocent and most 
injured Joseph "say one to another, We are verily guilty 
concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his 
soul when he besought us, and we would not hear ; there- 
fore is this distress come upon us! " — Gen. xlii. 21. 

17. As he loveth cursing, so shall it come unto him: as he 
delighted not in blessing, so shall it be far from him. 18. As 
he clothed himself with cursing, like as with his garment, so 
shall it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his 
bones. 19. It shall be unto him as the garment which cover - 
eth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. 
20. This shall be the reward of mine adversaries from the 
Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul. 

They who reject Christ, reject the fountain of "blessing," 
and choose a "curse" for their portion; and this portion, 
when they have finally made their choice, will certainly be 
given to them in full measure. The curse, that lighted on 
the Jewish nation, is resembled, for its universality and ad- 
hesion, to a "garment," which covereth the whole man, and 
is "girded " close about his loins ; for its diffusive and pene- 
trating nature, to "water," which from the stomach passeth 
into the "bowels," and is dispersed through all the vessels 
of the frame; and to "oil," which imperceptibly insinuates 
itself into the very "bones." When that unhappy multi- 
tude, assembled before Pontius Pilate, pronounced the words, 
"His blood be on us, and on our children," Matt, xxvii. 25; 
then did they put on the envenomed garment, which has 
stuck to and tormented the nation ever since ; then did they 
eagerly swallow down that deadly draught, the effects whereof 
have been the infatuation and misery of 1700 years ! If such, 
in this world, be "the reward of Messiah's adversaries, and 
of those who spake evil against him," what will hereafter be 
the vengeance inflicted on those who "crucify him afresh, 
and put him again to an open shame?" — JHeb. vi. 6. And 



DAY XXII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



479 



what will be the operation of the sentence, "Go, ye cursed," 
upon the bodies and souls of the wicked ; how will it at 
once affect all the senses of the former, and all the faculties 
of the latter, with pain, anguish, horror, and despair ! 
Think on these things, ye sinners — tremble, and repent ! 

21. But do thou for me, O God the Lord, Heb. Jehovah 
the Lord, for thy name's sake : because thy mercy is good, 
deliver thou me. 22. For I am poor and needy, and my heart 
is wounded within me. 23. I am gone like the shadow when 
it declineth : I am tossed up and down as the locust. 24. My 
knees are weak through. fasting, and my flesh faileth of fat- 
ness. 25. / became also a reproach unto them : when they 
looked upon me, they shaked their heads. 

In this last part of the Psalm, Messiah petitioneth for 
deliverance, urging to the Father his power as " Lord," the 
honour of his "name," and the greatness of his "mercy." 
He then pleadeth his own humiliation, and affliction, his 
"poverty," and "heart" felt agony of grief. Drawing to- 
ward the evening of his mortal life, he compareth himself 
to a " shadow, declining," and about to vanish from the 
earth, where he hath no rest, being persecuted from place 
to place, as a " locust" is driven hither and thither, by the 
stormy wind and tempest ; while enfeebled and emaciated 
by frequent " fastings," and long want of food during his 
passion, he was ready to sink under his burden ; and what 
aggravated all his sufferings was, that he met with no pity 
and compassion from those around him ; his enemies " re- 
proached" and reviled him, " shaking their heads, and say- 
ing, Ah thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in 
three days, save thyself," &c. — Matt, xxvii. 39. Nor are 
we to suppose our Lord thus praying for his natural body 
only, but also for his mystical body, the church, that from 
all distresses, persecutions, and insults, the members of 
that body may in time be delivered, like their blessed Head, 
by a joyful resurrection to eternal life. 

26. Help me, O Lord my God ; O save me, according to 
thy mercy. 27. That they may know that this is thy hand ; 
that thou Lord hast done it. 

The resurrection of Christ was to be the great demonstra- 
tion of Jehovah's power ; and it was published as such by 
the apostles, to all the nations of the world, who thereupon 



480 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. C1X. 



believed, and were converted. The Jews alone hardened 
their hearts against that proof, and continued impenitent. 

28. They will curse, but thou shalt bless : when they arise 
they shall be ashamed ; but thy servant shall rejoice. 29. 
Mine adversaries shall be clothed with shame : and they shall 
cover themselves with our confusion as with a mantle. 

The apostate sons of Israel, though" they have been so 
long "confounded" and blasted by the breath of heaven's 
displeasure, yet continue "cursing" and blaspheming, as it 
is here foretold that they should do. But God hath "blessed" 
his Son Jesus, and through him all nations, who have been 
adopted into his family, and made his children by baptism ; 
yea, and they shall be blessed, and enter by thousands and 
millions, into the " joy" of their Lord, in that day when his 
crucifiers shall have no " covering," but their own " shame" 
and " confusion." 

30. / will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth : yea, I 
will praise him among the multitude. 31. For he shall stand 
at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that 
condemn his soul. 

The former of these two verses is parallel to that which 
St. Paul citeth from Ps. xxii. 22. " He that sanctifieth, and 
they who are sanctified, are all of one : for which cause he 
is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare 
thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will 
I sing praise unto thee." — Heb. ii. 11. Great is the joy of 
the redeemed upon earth ; greater will it be, after the resur- 
rection of the dead, in the courts of heaven. Jesus, unjustly 
put to death, and now risen again, is a perpetual Advocate 
and Intercessor for his people, ever ready to appear on their 
behalf, against the iniquitous sentence of a corrupt world, 
and the malice of the grand Accuser. 



DAY XXIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



481 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CX. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm David prophesieth concerning, 1. the exaltation of Christ; 
2. the sceptre of his kingdom; 3. the character of his subjects ; 4. his 
everlasting priesthood ; 5, 6. his tremendous victories and judgments ; 
7. the means of his obtaining both kingdom and priesthood, by his 
sufferings and resurrection. Parts of this prophecy are cited and ap- 
plied in the New Testament, by our Lord himself, Matt. xxii. 43. by 
St. Peter, Acts ii. 34. by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 20. Heb. v. 6. The church, 
likewise hath appointed it as one of the proper Psalms to be read on 
Christmas-day. It appertaineth literally and solely to King Messiah. 

1. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right 
hand, until L make thine enemies thy footstool. 

We are here informed of Jehovah's eternal and unchange- 
able decree concerning the kingdom of Messiah, its extension, 
power, and duration. That Messiah should, after his suffer- 
ings, be thus exalted, was determined in the divine counsel 
and covenant, before the world began. Whether we suppose 
the Psalmist to be speaking of that determination, or of its 
actual accomplishment at the time of Christ's ascension into 
heaven, it maketh no great difference. The substance of the 
decree is the same. It was addressed by the Father to the 
Son, by Jehovah to Messiah, whom David in spirit styleth 
"■TIN "my Lord;" one that should come after him, as his 
offspring according to the flesh; but one, in dignity of person, 
and greatness of power, far superior to him, and to every 
earthly potentate; King of kings, and Lord of lords; God 
and man united in one person. To this person it was said 
by the Father, " Sit thou at my right hand, until I make 
thine enemies thy footstool; " in other words, Seeing, O my 
Son Messiah, thou hast glorified me on the earth, and finished 
the work which I gave thee to do, the great work of man's 
redemption ; take now the throne prepared for thee from 
the foundation of the world ; behold, all power is given 
unto thee ; enter upon thy mediatorial kingdom, and reign 
till every opposer shall have submitted himself to thee, and 
sin and death shall have felt thy all-conquering arm. 

2 i 



482 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. ex. 



2. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of 
Sion ; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 

In the foregoing verse^, David related the words spoken 
by the Father to the Son. In this, he himself, as a prophet, 
directeth his speech to King Messiah, predicting the glorious 
consequences of his inthronization, and the manner in which 
"his enemies" are to be "made his footstool." The "rod, 
or sceptre " of Christ's "strength" is his Word, accompanied 
by his Spirit. The law was given to Israel from Sinai, but 
the gospel went forth from "Sion it was " preached to all 
nations, beginning at Jerusalem;" Luke xxiv. 47. there 
began the spiritual kingdom of Jesus ; there were the first 
converts made ; and from thence the faith was propagated, 
by the apostles, to the ends of the earth. This David seeing 
beforehand, cries out, " Rule thou in the midst of thine 
enemies ! " Go on, victorious Prince ; plant the standard of 
thy cross among the thickest ranks of the adversary ; and, 
in opposition to both Jew and Gentile, tumultuously raging 
against thee, erect and establish thy church throughout the 
world ! This was accordingly done with marvellous speed 
and success ; and the church, thus erected and established 
among the nations, hath been as marvellously preserved, 
" in the midst of her enemies," unto this day ; yea, and the 
world shall sooner be destroyed, than she shall cease to be 
preserved. 

3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in 
the beauties of holiness : from the womb of the morning thou 
hast the dew of thy youth. 

The blessed effects of the gospel, upon its publication, are 
here foretold. " The people" of Christ are those given him 
by his Father, and gathered to him by the preachers of his 
word. "The day of his power" is the season of their con- 
version, when the corruptions of nature can no longer hold 
out against the prevailing influences of grace ; when the 
heart, will, and affections turn from the world to God ; and 
they make, as the first disciples did, a free and voluntary 
offer of themselves, and all they have, to their Redeemer. 
Then it is, that they appear " in the beauties of holiness," 
adorned with humility, faith, hope, love, and all the graces 
of the Spirit. With regard to the last clause of this verse, 
Bishop Lowth, in his admired Lectures,* has observed, and 

* Praelect. x. 



DAY XXIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



483 



proved, that it may be fairly construed to this effect — " More 
than the dew from the womb of the morning is the dew of 
thy progeny ; " that is, Thy children, begotten to thee through 
the gospel, shall exceed in number, as well as brightness and 
beauty, the spangles of early dew, which the morning dis- 
closeth to the delighted eye of the beholder. The whole 
verse, therefore, containeth a lively character of the subject 
of Christ 's spiritual kingdom, who are described by their 
relation to him as "his people;" by their "willingness" to 
obey and serve him; by their honourable attire, the rich 
and splendid robes of "holiness ; " and by their multitudes, 
resembling the drops of "dew" upon the grass. 

4. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent. Thou art a 
Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 

From Christ's regal office, and the administration thereof, 
by the sceptre of his Word and Spirit, the prophet passeth 
to his sacerdotal office, which was also conferred on him 
by the decree of the Father, and that decree, as we are told, 
ratified by an oath; "Jehovah hath sworn, and will not re- 
pent, or change his purpose." The oath of God was the 
great seal of heaven, designed to intimate the importance of 
the deed to which it was set, and "to show to the heirs of 
promise the immutability of his counsel." — Heb. vi. 17. 
Whether this oath passed at the actual consecration of Mes- 
siah to the priesthood upon his ascension, or at his designa- 
tion thereto by covenant before the world, sufficient it is for 
our assurance and comfort, that it did pass. We have a 
Priest in heaven, who standeth continually pleading the 
merits of his sacrifice once offered upon the cross ; " who 
ever liveth to make intercession for us ; " and who is ready, 
at all times, to bless us, " by turning away every man from 
his iniquities;" Acts iii. 26. by aiding us against our enemies, 
and supporting us under our necessities. Oblation, inter- 
cession, and benediction, are the three branches of the sacer- 
dotal office, which our great High Priest now exerciseth for 
us, and in the exercise of which the Father hath conde- 
scended, in the most awful manner to promise, that he will 
hear and accept him on our behalf. His priesthood is not like 
that of Aaron, figurative, successive, and transient, but real 
and effectual, fixed and incommunicable, eternal and un- 
changeable, according to that pattern of it exhibited to 

2 i 2 



484 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. ex. 



Abraham, before the law, in the person of " Melchizedeck," 
Gen. xiv. 18 — 20. and discoursed upon at large by the 
apostle, Heb. vii. throughout. 

5. The Lord upon thy right hand shall strike through kiiigs 
in the day of his wrath. 6. He shall judge among the 
heathen, he shall Jill the places with the dead bodies ; he shall 
wound the heads over many countries ; Heb. the head over 
much country. 

This is a description of the vengeance which King Mes- 
siah should take on his impenitent adversaries. By "The 
Lord, or, my Lord upon thy right hand," TpW the 
same person must undoubtedly be understood, who is men- 
tioned in the first verse under the same title, as "sitting 
at the right hand of Jehovah." And the Psalmist, who has 
hitherto addressed himself to Messiah, or the Son, must be 
supposed now to make a sudden apostrophe to Jehovah, or 
the Father ; as if he had said, "This my Lord Messiah, who 
sitteth at thy right hand, O Jehovah, shall smite through 
kings in the day of his wrath ;" the kings of the earth will 
endeavour to destroy his religion, and put an end to his 
kingdom ; the Neros, the Domitians, the Dioclesians, the 
Maxentius's, the Julians, &c. shall stand up, and set them- 
selves in array against him ; but "the Lamb shall overcome 
them;" he shall "judge" and punish the "heathen" princes, 
with their people, when in arms against his church; he shall 
raise up those who shall successfully fight his battle, and 
strew the ground with their carcasses." As Messiah hath 
done to the antichristian powers of old, so shall he do to all 
others, before, or at his second advent. There is a day of 
forbearance, during which he will have his church to be, 
like himself, oppressed and afflicted, humble and resigned ; 
but there is also a future day of wrath and recompence, 
when the sins and provocations of her persecutors shall be 
ripe for judgment ; when their triumphs and her sufferings 
shall be at an end ; when they shall fall for ever, and she 
shall ascend to heaven. 

7. He shall drink of the brook, or, torrent, in the way : 
and therefore shall he lift up his head. 

The means, by which Christ should obtain his universal 
kingdom, and everlasting priesthood, seem here to be as- 
signed. In his "way" to glory, he was to drink deep of the 



DAY XXIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



485 



waters* of affliction ; the swollen "torrent" occurred in the 
way, and presented itself between him and the throne of 
God. To this " torrent in the way" the Saviour descended ; 
he bowed himself down, and " drank" of it for us all ; "and 
therefore pT?V did he lift up his head;" that is, he arose 
victorious, and from the valley, in which the torrent ran, 
ascended to the summit of that holy and heavenly Mount, 
where He reigneth, till " his enemies be made his footstool." 
St. Paul hath expressed the same sentiment in literal terms; 
" He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, 
even the death of the cross : wherefore, Zio, God also hath 
highly exalted him." — Phil. ii. 8. 



PSALM CXI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is one of the proper Psalms appointed by the church to be read on 
Easter-day. It containeth, 1. a resolution to praise Jehovah in the 
congregation, 2, 3. for his great and glorious works, and, 4. for the ap- 
pointed memorials of them ; 5, 6. his mercies to the church are cele- 
brated, and 7, 8. the equity and the stability of his counsels declared ; 

9. the blessings of redemption, and the new covenant, are mentioned, 
as they were prefigured of old in God's dispensations toward Israel. 

10. Religion is proclaimed to be true wisdom. 

1. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the as- 
sembly of the upright, and in the congregation. 

Jehovah is to be " praised," not only with the voice, and 
the understanding, but with the " heart," with the "whole " 

* The Hebrew word VnJ signifies in general, " a current of water," 
which may be either a turbid, overwhelming " torrent," or a clear and 
gentle "stream." In Ps. xviii. 5. it denotes the " floods of ungodliness." 
In Ps.xxxvi. 8. it is used to signify the "river of divine pleasures." Hence 
arises an ambiguity in the interpretation of the words, " He shall drink of 
the brook in the way," which may be expounded either of the " sufferings" 
Christ tasted, or the " refreshments" he experienced ; as the "waters" are 
supposed to be those of "affliction" or those of "comfort." Either way, 
the sense is good, and true, as it relates to Messiah. " Torrents," or the 
" overflowing of rivers," in the scripture language, certainly, as Dr. Durell 
observes, do often denote " afflictions ;" as in Ps. xviii. 4. cxxiv. 4, 5. 
cxliv. 7, &c. " the being oppressed by them," is also described by the 
action of " drinking," Ps. lx. 3. lxxv. 8, &c. And the idea of a "brook 
in the way, or the road," seems to favour this exposition. But the author 
advances it, as becomes him to do, with great deference and submission, 
since Bishop Lovvth and Mr. Merrick are of a different opinion. 



486 



A COMMENTARI- 



ES, cxr. 



heart, and all its affections, tuned, like the chords of the 
son of Jesse's harp, to a song of gratitude and love. Solitary- 
devotion hath, doubtless, its beauties and excellences ; but 
how glorious is it to hear the voices of a whole Christian 
"congregation" break forth into hallelujahs, like the sound 
of many waters, and the noise of mighty thunderings, while 
each one, as it were, provokes another to continue the 
blessed employment, with unremitted attention, and un- 
abated fervour. 

2. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them 
that have pleasure therein. 

The subjects of man's praise are the " works" of God. 
Every one of these works, whether in the natural, or the 
spiritual system, is "great." Nothing cometh from the 
hands of the divine Artist, but what is excellent and perfect 
in its kind, adapted with infinite skill to its proper place, 
and fitted for its intended use. Happy are they, who, with 
humility and diligence, with faith and devotion, give them- 
selves to the contemplation of these works, and take " plea- 
sure" and delight therein. To them shall the gate of true 
science open ; they shall understand the mysteries of crea- 
tion, providence, and redemption; and they who thus 
"seek," shall find the treasures of eternal wisdom. 

3. His work is honourable and glorious : and his righte- 
ousness endureth for ever. 

The "work," of all others, in which the "honour and 
glorious majesty" of Jehovah appeared, and which the 
Christian church celebrates with this Psalm, is the salvation 
and exaltation of our nature, by the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead ; an event which contained in it the 
accomplishment of the ancient promises, and thereby de- 
monstrated to all the world, the everlasting truth, fidelity, 
and "righteousness" of him who made them. 

4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered : 
or,- he hath appointed a memorial for his wonders ; the Lord 
is gracious and full of compassion. 

Jewish feasts were "memorials" of the "wonders" 
wrought for Israel of old ; Christian festivals are " memo- 
rials" of the "wonders" wrought in Christ for all mankind, 
to whom, no less than to Israel, God hath now showed him- 
self "gracious and full of compassion." 

5. He hath given meat to them that fear him : he will ever 



DAY XXIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



487 



be mindful of his covenant. 6. He hath showed his people 
the power of his works, that he may, or, might give them the 
heritage of the heathen. 

Agreeably to the "covenant" which God made with Abra- 
ham, as concerning his children according to the flesh, he 
"fed" and supported them in the wilderness, he overthrew 
their enemies by the might of his "power," and he put them 
in possession of Canaan, which before was "the heritage of 
the heathen." Agreeably to the covenant which God made 
with the same Abraham, as concerning all believers, those 
"children of the promise which are counted for the seed," 
he feedeth them in the world with the true manna,* the 
bread which cometh down from heaven ; he hath again 
" showed the power of his works " in the overthrow of idol- 
atry ; and again, by the conversion of the nations, given to 
his church " the heritage of the heathen ; " although, like 
Israel, she is commanded, and hath had frequent admoni- 
tions, not to fix her heart on an earthly Canaan ; not to ex- 
pect any permanent habitation, any enduring city 'here 
below ; not to stop short of an eternal and heavenly Rest. 

7. The works of his hands are verity and judgment ; all 
his commandments are sure. 8. They stand fast for ever 
and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. 

In all God's dispensations toward his faithful servants, 
and toward his impenitent adversaries, we admire and adore 
his "verity" in the performance of his promises to the for- 
mer, and his "justice" in' executing his vengeance on the 
latter. Thus the time of fulfilling his promise to Abraham 
came not till the iniquity of the Amorites was full. The case 
is the same as to the coming of Christ, the subversion of pa- 
ganism, the deaths of persecutors, the rise and fall of nations, 
the conversion or excision of individuals, and every other 
instance of mercy or judgment. Another property of God's 
works is, that, being " done in truth and uprightness, they 
stand fast for ever;" and will then appear in perfect glory 
and beauty, when all the arts and labours of man shall be 
no more. 

9. He sent redemption unto his people, he hath commanded 

* " Esc am dedit" — Manna: quae cetera Dei mirabilia in memoriam 
revocabat: unde in Area servari jussa. — Exod. xvi. 32. Erat autem Eu- 
charistiee figura, quoe vere divini amoris monumentum seternum, — Bossuet. 



488 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxir, 



his covenant for ever ; holy and reverend, or, terrible is his 
name. 

He who "sent redemption" to Israel by the hand of 
Moses, hath now " sent redemption" by the power of Jesus, 
to all the world : he who, at Mount Sinai, established his 
"covenant" with his people, and gave them a law, hath 
now established his "covenant" with the Gentiles, and pub- 
lished to them his gospel from Sion. — "Holy is his name,' 
and therefore "terrible" to those who, under all the means 
of grace, continue unholy. 

13. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a 
good understanding have all they that do his command- 
ments : his praise endureth for ever. 

The "fear of God" is the first step to salvation, as it 
exciteth a sinner to depart from evil, and to do good ; to 
implore pardon, and to sue for grace ; to apply to a Saviour 
for the one, and to a sanctifier for the other. Religion is 
the perfection of wisdom, practice the best instructor, and 
thanksgiving the sweetest recreation. 



PSALM CXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist enumerateth the blessings, attending the man who feareth 
Jehovah; 1. the pleasure which he taketh in doing his will; 2. the 
prosperity of his seed; 3. the plenteousness in his house ; 4. his comfort 
in trouble ; 5. his internal joys ; 6. the honour with which he is remem- 
bered ; 7, 8. his holy confidence in God; 9. his good deeds, and the 
reward of them; 10. the envy, wretchedness, and perdition of the 
wicked. The blessings of the gospel are spiritual and eternal ; and 
they are conferred upon the members of the Christian church through 
Christ their head^who is the pattern of all righteousness, and the giver 
of all grace. 

1. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delight- 
eth greatly in his commandments : or, he delighteth greatly 
in his commandments. 

The man who duly "feareth God," is delivered from every 
other fear; the man "who delighteth in God's command- 
ments," is freed from every inordinate desire of earthly things ; 
and such a man must needs be "blessed." Of this kind 
was thy blessedness, O holy Jesu, on whom did rest " the 



DAY XXIII. M. P.J OX THE PSALMS. 



489 



Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah," and whose 
"meat" it was " to do the will of him that sent thee, and 
to finish his work." — Isa. xi. 2. John iv. 34. 

2. His seed shall be mighty upon earth : the generation of 
the upright shall be blessed. 

A father's piety derives the benediction of heaven upon 
his children. The posterity of faithful Abraham were often 
spared and favoured on account of their progenitor * as the 
whole family of believers, Abraham and all, are blessed in 
Him, who is the great Father of that family, and the Author 
of their salvation. 

3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house : and Ids right- 
eousness endureth for ever. 

It sometimes pleaseth God to bestow on his servants, as he 
did on Israel of old, the good things of this world. And a 
rich man is therefore happier than a poor man, because " it 
is more blessed to give than to receive." — Acts xx. 35. 
But the true "wealth " of Christians is of another kind; their 
"riches" are such as neither moth can corrupt, nor thief 
steal. Grace and glory are in the "house" of Christ, and 
everlasting " righteousness " is the portion of his children. 

4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in darkness ; he 
is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. 

While we are on earth, we are subject to a threefold 
"darkness;" the darkness of error, the darkness of sorrow, 
and the darkness of death. To dispel these, God visiteth 
us, by his Word, with a threefold " light ;" the light of 
truth, the light of comfort, and the light of life. The 
Christian's temper is framed after the pattern of his Master; 
and he is ever ready to show to others that "love" and 
" mercy " which have been shown to him. 

5. A good man shoiveth favour and lendeth ; he will guide 
his affairs with discretion. 

The former part of this verse may be rendered, with a 
little variation, " It is well with the man who is gracious 
and communicative;" ill nature and avarice are their own 
tormentors, but love and liberality do good to themselves by 
doing it to others, and enjoy all the happiness which they 
cause. It is not God's intention, that any of the talents 
which he bestoweth upon us should lie dead, but that our 
brethren should have the use of them ; even as Christ re- 
ceived the Spirit to communicate it to us, and our salvation 



490 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXII. 



is his glory and joy. The latter part of this verse is likewise 
capable of a different, and, indeed, a more literal translation; 
" He will support, or, maintain his words, or, his transac- 
tions in judgment;" that is, he who thus employed his 
talents for the benefit of mankind, will be able to render a 
good account to his Lord who intrusteth them with him. 

6. Surely he shall not be moved for ever : the righteous 
shall be had in everlasting remembrance. 7. He shall not be 
afraid of evil tidings ; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. 
8. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he 
see his desire upon his enemies. 

Nothing can deprive the person here described of his 
felicity. When his work is done, his body will go to its 
repose in the dust, but the "memorial" of his name, and 
of his good deeds, will be still fresh as the morning breeze, 
and fragrant as the flower of the spring. " He feareth no 
evil report;" no blast of slander or malice can touch him; 
no tidings of calamity and destruction can shake his confi- 
dence in God ; but he will hear the trump of judgment, and 
behold the world in flames, rather with joy than with 
dread ; as knowing by those tokens that the hour of his re- 
demption is come, when "he shall see his enemies," and 
even death, the last of them, under his feet. 

9. He hath dispersed, -he hath given to the poor, his right- 
eousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with 
honour. 

His riches are not hoarded up, but " dispersed abroad ; 
and that not by others after his death, but by himself in his 
lifetime ; " He hath dispersed." They are not squandered 
in the ways of vanity and folly, but "given to the poor;" 
nor are they given indiscriminately and at random, but 
" dispersed, ' ' like precious seed, with prudence and discretion, 
according to the nature of the soil, and in proper season, 
so as to produce the most plentiful harvest. Therefore 
" his righteousness endureth for ever;" its fruits and its good 
report are lasting among men, and it is never to be forgotten 
before God, who hath prepared for it an eternal reward. 
"His horn shall be exalted with honour, or in glory;" what- 
ever may be his lot upon earth, and even there the charitable 
man will frequently be had in " honour, at the last day, 
certainly, when the thrones of the mighty shall be cast down, 
and the sceptres of tyrants broken in pieces, then shall he 



DAY XXIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



491 



lift up his head, and be exalted to partake of the "glory" 
of his Redeemer, the author of his faith, and the pattern of 
his charity, who gave himself for us, and is now seated at 
the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens. 

10. The icicked shall see it, and be grieved ; he shall gnash 
with his teeth, and melt away ; the desire of the ivicked shall 
perish. 

- The sight of Christ in glory with his saints, will, in an 
inexpressible manner torment the crucihers of the one, and 
the persecutors of the other ; as it will show them the hopes 
and wishes of their adversaries all granted to the full, and 
all their own "desires" and designs for ever at an end; it 
will excite envy which must prey upon itself, produce a 
grief which can admit of no comfort, give birth to a worm 
which can never die, and blow up those fires which nothing 
can quench. 



PSALM CXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The servants of God are, 1. exhorted to praise his name, 2. at all times, 
and, 3. in all places, on account, 4, 5. of his power and glory, 6 — 8. of 
his mercy in redeeming man, and, 9. making the Gentile church to be 
a joyful mother of children. This Psalm is appointed to be read on 
Easter day. 

1. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of 
the Lord. 2. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this 
time forth, and for evermore. 

Christians are the "servants" of Jesus Christ; and a more 
delightful part of their service it is to "praise" his holy and 
saving " name" in the church, which now useth this Psalm, 
among others, and with it "blesseth the name" of her Lord 
and Saviour from age to age. The Psalmist wished and 
prayed that this might be done, and he foresaw that it 
would be done, while the world should last, upon earth, 
and afterward " for evermore," in heaven. 

3. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the 
same, the Lord's name is to be praised ; or, is praised. 
4. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above 
the heavens. 

At the diffusion of the gospel through the world, the 
name of Christ Avas praised " from the east to the west," in 



492 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIII. 



churches every where planted by the apostles and their 
successors : and the grand subjects of their joy and triumph 
among believers were, the superiority of their Master over 
the " heathen nations," and their idols ; the exaltation of 
" his glory above the heavens," and all the powers therein : 
the might of his arm, and the majesty of his kingdom. 

5. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on 
high? 6. Who humbleth himself to behold the things that 
are in heaven and in earth. 

Highly as our Lord is exalted above this system, above 
these heavens and this earth of ours, yet he condescendeth 
to regard every thing that passeth here, and to make us, the 
inhabitants of this lower world, and, for our sakes, all the 
other creatures in it, the objects of his peculiar care, and 
paternal love. 

7. He raiseth the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the 
needy out of the dunghill ; 8. That he may set him with 
princes, even with the princes of his people. 

Such is the mercy to the poor sons of Adam in their fallen 
estate, that from the lowest and most abject condition, from 
the pollutions of sin, and from the dishonours of the grave, 
he raiseth them to righteousness and holiness, to glory and 
immortality ; he setteth them on high with the inhabitants 
of the heavenly Jerusalem, "with the princes of his people," 
the leaders of the armies above, with angels and archangels 
before his throne. What is the exaltation of the meanest 
beggar from a dunghill to an earthly diadem, when com- 
pared with that of human nature from the grave to the 
throne of God ? Here is honour worthy our ambition ; 
honour, after which all are alike invited to aspire : which 
all may obtain, who strive worthily and lawfully ; and of 
which, when once obtained, nothing can ever deprive the 
possessors. 

9. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be 
a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord. 

In the sacred history of the Old Testament, we meet with 
frequent instances of barren women, who were miraculously 
made to bear children. Isaac, Joseph, Samson, and Samuel, 
were thus born of Sarah, Rachel, the wife of Manoah, and 
Hannah. To these may be added, from the history of the 
New Testament, the instance of Elisabeth, the wife of Zacha- 
rias, and mother of St. John the Baptist. These examples 



DAY XXIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



493 



may be considered as preludes to that marvellous exertion of 
divine power, whereby the Gentile church, after so many 
years of barrenness, became, in her old age, " a fruitful 
parent of children, and the mother of us all." Wherefore 
it is written, " Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear ; 
break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not 
travail with child : for more are the children of the desolate, 
than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord." — 
Isa. liv. 1. Gal. iv. 27. 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is another of the Psalms appointed by our church to be read on 
Easter day. It celebrates the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, and the 
miracles wrought for that people, prefiguring the redemption of our 
nature from sin and death, and the wonders of mercy and love wrought 
for us by Jesus Christ. 

1. When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob 
from a people of strange language ; 2. Judah was his, that 
is, God's sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. 

When Jehovah delivered Israel from the bondage of 
Egypt, he chose them for his peculiar people ; his presence 
resided in their camp, as in a " sanctuary," or temple; and 
he ruled them as an earthly king exerciseth sovereignty in 
his "dominions." This world, and the prince of this world, 
are to us, what Egypt and Pharaoh were to Israel. The 
redemption of our nature, by the resurrection of Christ, an- 
swereth to their redemption by the hand of Moses. When 
we are baptized into the death and resurrection of our Lord, 
we renounce the world, its pomps and vanities; and should, 
therefore, quit its corrupt "language," manners, and customs, 
with as much alacrity and expedition, as " the family of 
Jacob" left those of Egypt. We are the "sanctuary, the 
temple," in which Christ dwelleth by his Spirit ; we are the 
subjects of his spiritual "kingdom;" we are his peculiar 
people; in one word, we are his "Church," and succeed, 
as such, to all the titles and privileges formerly conferred 
on Israel. 



494 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXIV. 

3. The sea saw it and jied: Jordan was driven back. 
Although forty years intervened between the two events 

here mentioned, yet, as the miracles were of a similar 
nature, they are spoken of together. In the passage of Israel 
through the Red Sea, we may contemplate our passage from 
a death of sin to a life of righteousness, through the waters 
of baptism ; as our translation from death temporal to life 
eternal is figured by their entrance into the promised land, 
through the river Jordan. The waters, in both cases, are 
poetically represented as sensible of their Creator's pre- 
sence ; and, by their retiring, and opening a path for the 
people of God, we are taught, that if we continue faithful, 
all obstructions will be removed in our way to heaven. 

4. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills 
like lambs. 

The tremors of Mount Sinai and the neighbouring hills, 
when the law was given, afforded some specimen of that 
power which was afterward exerted in the overthrow of 
idolatry, and the casting down of every high thing, that 
exalted itself against the gospel at its publication. " See, 
therefore, that ye refuse not him that speaketh : for if they 
escaped not, who refused him that spake on earth, much 
more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that 
speaketh from heaven ; whose voice then shook the earth : 
but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake 
not the earth only, but also heaven." — Heb. xii. 25. 

5. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thoufieddest ? Thou, 
Jordan, that thou wast driven back ? 6. Ye mountains, that 
ye skipped like rams: and ye little hills, like lambs ? 7. 
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the pre- 
sence of the God of Jacob. 

If the divine presence hath such an effect upon inanimate 
matter, how ought it to operate on rational and accountable 
beings ? Let us be afraid, with an holy fear, at the presence 
of God, in the world by his providence, and by his Spirit 
in our consciences ; so that we may have hope and courage 
in the day when he shall arise to shake terribly the earth : 
when " every island shall fly away, and the mountains shall 
be no more found." — Rev. xvi. 20. 

8. Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint 
into a fountain of waters. 

He who brought water out of the sacramental rock in the 



DAY XXIII. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



495 



wilderness, hath since caused rivers of living water to flow 
through the world, from the Rock of our salvation ; nay, he 
hath dissolved the stony hearts of sinners, and made to 
spring up in them fountains of this water of life. For these 
great instances of his power and his love, we are taught to 
bless his holy name, when we sing this Psalm, as an evan- 
gelical hymn, on the day of our Lord's resurrection. 



PSALM CXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

The church, 1, 2. prayeth that God would glorify himself in her salvation ; 
3. she declareth her faith in him; 4 — 8. exposeth the vanity and folly 
of idolatry; 9 — 11. exhorteth her children to rely upon Jehovah; 
12 — 15. foretelleth how he will bless, prosper, and increase his people ; 
16 — 18. never suffering the voice of praise and thanksgiving- to cease 
upon the earth. 

1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name 
give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. 2. Where- 
fore should the heathen say, Where is now their God ? 

From these two verses it is evident, that the Psalm is not 
a thanksgiving for victory, but a petition for deliverance. 
God is intreated to "give glory," by such deliverance, 
"not to us," to our works, or endeavours, but "to his own 
name;" he is requested to vouchsafe salvation, not on ac- 
count of our merits, but of his "mercy," which inclineth 
him to be gracious; of his "truth," which disposeth him 
to fulfil his promises ; and of his " honour," that the enemy 
may not have occasion to blaspheme him, and reproach his 
servants, as if their Master either could not, or would not, 
help them in the day of their distress. "Wherefore should 
the heathen say, Where is now their God?" 

3. But our God is in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever 
he pleased : or, he doeth whatsoever he pleaseth. 

Should the insulting adversary ask the above question, 
"Where is now their God?" the faithful are ready with 
their reply, " Our God is in the heavens ;" he is where he 
ever was, upon his glorious throne, high over all the king- 
doms of the world, and the powers of created nature ; from 
thence he observeth and ordereth all things here below ; 
what we suffer is by his appointment; and, at his good time 



496 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxv. 



and pleasure, he both can and will relieve us : " he doeth 
whatsoever he pleaseth." 

4. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of mens hands. 
5. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but 
they see not. 6. They have ears, but they hear not; noses 
have they, but they smell not. 7. They have hands, but they 
handle not : feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak 
they through their throat. 

A beautiful contrast is formed between the God of Israel 
and the heathen idols. He made every thing, they are 
themselves made by men ; he is in heaven, they are upon 
earth; he doeth whatsoever he pleaseth, they can do no- 
thing ; he seeth the distresses, heareth and answereth the 
prayers, accepteth the offerings, cometh to the assistance, 
and effecteth the salvation of his servants ; they are blind, 
deaf, and dumb, senseless, motionless, and impotent. 
Equally slow to hear, equally impotent to save, in time of 
greatest need, will every worldly idol prove, on which men 
have set their affections, and to which they have, in effect, 
said, "Thou art my God." 

8. They that make them are like unto them ; so is every 
one that trusteth in them. 

Idolaters, like the objects of their worship, are rather life- 
less images, than real men. What our Lord said of the 
Jews, is applicable to them, and indeed to all who reject the 
knowledge of the true God, and the doctrines of salvation ; 
"Having eyes, they see not, having ears, they hear not." 
They see not the things which belong unto their peace : they 
hear not the word of instruction and exhortation; they speak 
not of religion and the kingdom of heaven ; they work not 
the works of piety and charity ; they walk not in the path 
of the divine commandments ; they are spiritually blind, 
deaf, dumb, lame, and impotent ; and when their idols are 
destroyed, they will perish in like manner. 

9. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord ; he is their help and 
their shield. 10. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he 
is their help and their shield. 11. Ye that fear the Lord, 
trust in the Lord : he is their help and their shield. 

Let the men of the world make to themselves gods, and 
vainly trust in the work of their own hands, or heads ; but 
let the church repose all her confidence in Jehovah, her 
Saviour and Redeemer, who alone can be her defender and 



DAY XXIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



497 



protector; more especially let her ministers, the sons of the 
true Aaron, do this, who are the peculiar portion of their 
God, employed continually in his service, and designed to 
build up others in faith and hope; and let all who have 
been instructed, by their ministry, in the fear of the Lord, 
trust always in him, nor suffer any apprehension of danger 
or distress to separate them from him. 

12. The Lord hath been, or, is mindful of us, he will bless 
us, he will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house 
of Aaron. 13. He will bless them that fear the Lord, both 
small and great. 14. The Lord shall increase you more and 
more, you and your children. 15. You are blessed of the 
Lord, which made heaven and earth. 

The heart of the Psalmist is full of "blessing," and on 
his tongue is the word of kindness, and comfort. The 
"blessings," formerly confined to Israel, have since been 
extended to the whole race of mankind. Jehovah, ever 
"mindful" of his creatures, hath visited the world by his 
Son, and by his Spirit ; he hath formed a church from 
among the Gentiles, appointed a priesthood and ministry in 
it, and given his benediction to both; he hath "blessed," 
with the blessings of grace, "them that fear him," of all 
nations, and of every degree ; he hath " increased " and 
multiplied his people exceedingly; and the faithful members 
of the Christian church are now " the blessed of Jehovah, 
who made heaven and earth," and who is, consequently, 
possessed of all power in both. 

16. The heaven, even the heavens, or, the heavens of 
heavens are the Lord's : but the' earth hath he given to the 
children of men. 17. The dead 'praise not the Lord, neither 
any that go down into silence. 18. But we will bless the 
Lord, from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the 
Lord. 

He who himself dwelleth in the highest heavens, where 
he is praised and glorified by angels, hath "given the earth " 
for an habitation, at present, " to the sons of men," whose 
duty it is to praise and glorify him here below, as the angels 
do above. Now, as " the dead cannot praise him," as they 
who sleep in the silent grave cannot celebrate him, we may 
be certain, that he will not suffer his people to be destroyed 
and extirpated, but will always preserve a church to "bless 
him" in all ages, till the end of the world; when the dead 

2k 



498 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXVI. 



shall be raised, and the choirs of heaven and earth shall be 
united, to praise and glorify him together before his throne, 
for evermore. 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

It is not certain by whom, or upon what occasion, this Psalm was com- 
posed. It plainly appears, however, to be a song of thanksgiving for 
deliverance from trouble, either temporal, or spiritual, or both. To 
render it of general use, let it be considered as an evangelical hymn, in 
the mouth of a penitent, expressing his gratitude for salvation from 
sin and death. 1,2. He declareth his love of God, who hath vouchsafed 
to hear his prayer ; 3 — 9. describeth his distress, his deliverance out of 
it, and subsequent peace and comfort; 10, 11. he acknowledgeth himself 
to have been tempted to despond, but was supported by faith, in the day 
of trouble; 12 — 19. he determineth to receive the cup of salvation, to 
praise and to serve Jehovah, who thus delivereth the souls of his people. 

1. / love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice, and 
my supplications. 2. Because he hath inclined his ear unto 
me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 

In the original it is, "I love,* because Jehovah hath 
heard," &c. The soul, transported with gratitude and love, 
seems at first to express her affection without declaring its 
object, as thinking that all the world must know who is the 
person intended. Thus Mary Magdalen, in her conversa- 
tion, at the sepulchre, with one whom she supposed to have 
been the gardener, though no previous mention had been 
made of Jesus, saith, "Sir, if thou have borne him hence, 
tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." 
John xx. 15. And ought not the love of God to be excited 
in all our hearts by the consideration, that when we were 
not able to raise ourselves up to him, he mercifully and 
tenderly "inclined" and bowed down "his ear" to us; he 
" heard our supplications," and descended from heaven to 
help and deliver us? With hope, therefore, and confidence, 
should we " call upon him," in all our troubles, " as long 
as we live." 

* Some critics prefer our old version — " I am well pleased." 



DAY XXIV. if. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



499 



3. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of 
hell got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. 4. Then 
called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, 1 beseech thee, 
deliver my soul. 

These "sorrows," or "bands of death, " once "compassed" 
the human race; these "pains of hell" were ready to seize 
on every son of Adam. The awakened and terrified con- 
science of a sinner hath felt the oppression of the former, 
and experienced some foretaste of the latter. In this situation 
he is described by St. Paul, as crying- out, " O wretched man 
that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" 
Let him take the course which the Psalmist took ; let him 
"call upon the name of the Lord," even the Lord Jesus, who 
put himself in the sinner's place, and suffered for him un- 
speakable "sorrows and pains;" let him do this, and he 
shall be saved ; and shall sing the praises of his Almighty 
Saviour, in the words of this beautiful Psalm. 

5. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous: yea, our God is 
merciful. 6. The Lord preserveth the simple : L was 
brought low, and he helped me. 

In the salvation of a sinner we contemplate God's "grace," 
by which the work is effected; his "righteousness," which 
causeth him to perform what he hath promised through 
Christ; his "mercy," which induced him to send his Son, 
and to make the promise. This mercy is the mercy of a 
parent, and such as a parent showeth to those young and 
"simple " ones, who have been overreached and deceived by 
a crafty adversary; to those who fall, and are unable of them- 
selves to rise again; "I was brought low, and he helped me." 

7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath 
dealt bountifully with thee. 8. For thou hast delivered my 
soul from death, mine eyes from tears, find my feet from fall- 
ing. 9. / will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 

That peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, 
which the penitent experienceth, as the effect and fruit of 
pardon, afford him some idea of the rest and felicity of 
heaven ; and, accordingly, he speaks as one translated to 
those happy mansions, where there is no more death, neither 
sorrow, nor crying, because there is no more sin. A Chris- 
tian, delivered out of the miseries of this troublesome world, 
and at rest in Abraham's bosom, would express himself, as 
one should think, in these very terms. Remission of sins 

2 k 2 



500 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxvr. 



ought to be followed by newness of life ; and the resolution 
of him, whose "soul" hath been "delivered from death, his 
eyes from tears, and his feet from falling," should always 
be this — "I will walk before the Lord," as one under his 
inspection, " in the land of the living," or amongst the 
redeemed in the church, until the time come for me to 
depart hence, and to be numbered with the saints, in glory 
everlasting. 

10. / believed, therefore have I spoken; I was greatly 
afflicted: 11. I said in my haste, all men are liars. 

In afflictions and distresses, those of the spirit and con- 
science more especially, the soul is tempted to despond, and 
can only be supported by faith exerting itself in prayer; "I 
believed and therefore have I spoken, or, therefore spake I," 
that is, as above, ver. 4. "I called upon the name of the 
Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul." And this 
I did, though so "greatly afflicted," that I had "said in my 
haste," in my hurry and trepidation, occasioned by fear and 
amazement, "all men are liars ; " there is no credit to be 
given to their promises of deliverance ; I am lost and undone 
for ever. Yet my faith failed not entirely, and lo, my prayer 
hath been heard, and answered. St. Paul, relating the 
troubles which came upon him, and the manner in which 
he sustained them, thus citeth a part of the 10th verse ; 
"We, having the same spirit of faith, according as it is 
written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken: we also 
believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he, which raised 
up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall 
present us with you." — 2 Cor. iv. 13, 14. 

12. What shall I render unto the Lord, for all his benefits 
toward me? 13. I will take the cup of salvation, and call 
upon the name of the Lord. 14. 1 will pay my vows unto 
the Lord now in the presence of all his people. 

The grateful penitent now asketh, what return he shall 
make to his kind Benefactor, for the most valuable of all 
blessings conferred upon him. And he presently resolveth 
to make the only return in his power, namely, to acknow- 
ledge and declare before men the goodness of Jehovah, 
ascribing all the glory where it is all due. This he deter- 
mineth to do, by "taking the cup of salvation," which, as 
Dr. Hammond observes, among the Jews, was twofold; 
one offered in a more solemn manner in the temple, 



DAY XXIV. M.P.J ON THE PSALMS. 501 

Numb, xxviii. 7. the other more private in families, called 
the cup of thanksgiving, or commemoration of any deliver- 
ance; begun by the Master of the family, and attended, on 
festival days, with a suitable hymn ; such as was that sung 
by our Lord and his disciples on the night when he advanced 
that cup into the sacrament of his blood, which hath ever 
since been to Christians "the cup of salvation," and which 
all penitents should now receive in the church, with invo- 
cation, thanksgiving, and payment of the "vows," made in 
time of trouble. 

15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 
The notion of the original word ^p* 1 in this place, for 

"rare, or precious," must be so taken, as not to signify that 
which is spoken of to be " desirable to, or in the presence of 
the Lord;" for it is the "life," not the "death" of his ser- 
vant, which is precious, in that sense, to God, the preserver 
of their lives. But when it is said, that their "death is 
precious," it means in effect no more, than that it is so 
considered, it is rated at "so high a price" by God, as that 
he will not easily grant it to any one who most desires it 
of him. — Thus far Dr. Hammond. We may add, that much 
less will God be easily prevailed on to give up his people 
to death eternal. Rather will he work wonders of mercy 
and loving-kindness to save them; as the penitent happily 
experienceth in himself. 

16. O Lord, truly L am thy servant, L am thy servant, 
and the son of thy handmaid : thou hast loosed my bonds 
17. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will 
call upon the name of the Lord. 18. L will pay my vows 
unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. 19. Ln 
the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jeru- 
salem. Praise ye the Lord. 

Every penitent is the "servant" of God, " the son of his 
handmaid," the church, "loosed from his bonds," and re- 
deemed from a state of slavery under sin, the world, and the 
devil, that he may serve a better Master, whose " yoke is 
easy, and his burden light." This blessed Master is from 
thenceforth the object of his love, duty, and adoration : to 
him he " offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving," to him he 
"payeth his vows," among his fellow servants, in the church 
on earth; longing for that day to come, when, loosed also 
from the bonds of death and the grave, he shall be admitted 




502 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXVI1. 



to sing hallelujahs, with saints and angels, in the " courts " of 
the eternal temple, even "in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem," 
the holy, heavenly, and glorious city of God Most High ! 



PSALM CXVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm, like the 110th, seems to be altogether prophetical of the joy 
that all the world should conceive at the coming of the Messiah, to 
give salvation, first to the Jews, and then to all other nations, accord- 
ing to his faithful promise. — Patrick. 

1. O praise the Lord, all §e nations : praise him, all ye 
people. 2. For his mercif ul kindness is great toward us : 
and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise the 
Lord. 

It is remarkable, that of so short a Psalm one verse is 
quoted in the New Testament by St. Paul ; the second verse 
is explained, though not quoted. Two questions naturally 
arise, upon reading the Psalm; first, who are the "nations 
and people," exhorted to praise Jehovah; secondly, what is 
that "merciful kindness," and that "truth," for which they 
are exhorted to praise him? The apostle hath given a satis- 
factory and decisive answer to both these questions, Rom. 
xv. 8, 9, &c. — "Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister 
of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the 
promises made unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might 
glorify God for his mercy ; as it is written, Praise the Lord, 
all ye Gentiles, and laud him all ye people." From the 
apostle's reasoning, the verse of our Psalm which he hath 
cited, appears to be a proof, that "the Gentiles," or the 
heathen world, should one day "glorify God;" they are, 
therefore, the "people" whom the Psalmist, in the Spirit of 
prophecy, exhorteth to "praise Jehovah." It appears also, 
why the Gentiles were to glorify God ; namely, for his 
"mercy" and "truth," shown in confirming, or accomplish- 
ing the "promises," concerning their vocation and con- 
version, "made unto the fathers;"* to Abraham and his 

* " Confirmata — et Veritas Domini." — Promiserat enim Abrahamo Deus 
futurum, ut per Christum, benedictum illud Abrahami semen, benedice- 
rentur omnes Gentes, Gen. xii. 3. xv. 18. interprete Apostolo, Gal. iii. 16. 
Quod cum prsestitum videamus, jam intelligimus vere advenisse Christum, 
ac promissa Dei firma esse omnia. — Bossuet. 



DAY XXIV. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



503 



seed for ever; to all believers, whether of the circumcision, 
or the uncircumcision. Such, then, is the "merciful kind- 
ness" of Jehovah, which is said in the Psalm, to be "great," 
mighty, and powerful "toward us;" such his "truth," which 
is affirmed to "endure for ever;" as the promises were made 
good to the Gentiles, when the Jews, because of unbelief, 
had been cast off. Let the hallelujahs of the redeemed be 
suitable to that "mercy," and co-eternal with that "truth." 



PSALM CXVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, a King of Israel appears leading his people in solemn pro- 
cession to the temple, there to offer up the sacrifice of praise and thanks- 
giving, for the marvellous deliverance from his enemies, and a glorious 
victory gained over them. After inviting the whole nation, 1 — 4. to 
join with him, upon this joyful occasion, he describeth at large, 5 — 18. 
his danger, and his deliverance from it, which latter is wholly attributed 
to the power and goodness of Jehovah. After this, as Mr. Mudge has 
rightly observed, there ensues a kind of sacred dialogue. Being come 
to the temple, the victorious monarch speaks the 19th verse ; they that 
open the gate, the 20th; he again, as he enters, the 21st; they with 
him seem to speak the four next verses to the 25th ; the priests of the 
temple, the 26th ; the first part to the King, the other to the people ; 
the people the 27th; he the 28th ; the 29th is the chorus verse, con- 
cluding as it began. The repeated application made of the 22d verse 
in the New Testament, and the appointment of the Psalm, by the church, 
to be used on Easter day, lead us to consider the whole as a triumphant 
hymn, sung by King Messiah, at the head of the Israel of God, on 
occasion of his resurrection and exaltation. 

1. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: because 
his mercy endureth for ever. 2. Let Israel now say, that his 
mercy endureth for ever. 3. Let the house of Aaron now say, 
that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them ?iow that fear 
the Lord, say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 

The subjects of "thanksgiving" here proposed are Jeho- 
vah's "goodness" and his "mercy." He is the sole fountain 
of absolute and essential "goodness," the source of all ex- 
cellency and perfection; and his "mercy" is the channel, 
by which he communicateth this goodnes, in an everflowing 
stream, to his people, who are, therefore, exhorted to praise 
him. The Christian church is now "the Israel of God :" 
her ministers constitute the true "house of Aaron," beino* 



504 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXV1II. 



the spiritual progeny of our great High Priest ; and the 
Gentiles, not the Jews, are they who know and " fear 
Jehovah." Let these all celebrate, for these all have expe- 
rienced, the benefits and blessings of " eternal mercy," by 
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 

5. / called upon the Lord in distress : the Lord answered 
me, and set me in a large place. 

The true value of every deliverance is to be estimated by 
the nature of the " distress" which required it. The rescue 
of David from his enemies, or that of Israel from captivity, 
might deservedly be extolled with the songs of Sion. How 
much more, then, is the church universal bound to lift up 
her voice in honour of Jehovah, who hath redeemed her 
from her spiritual adversaries, and freed her from the bon- 
dage of corruption, through Him who "died for her sins, 
and rose again for her justification;" who in the days of his 
flesh, being, on her account, in "distress" and affliction, 
"called upon Jehovah, and was answered," by an "enlarge- 
ment" from the narrow prison of the grave, to a boundless 
and glorious kingdom ! 

6. The Lord is on my side, I will not fear; what can 
man do unto me ? 7. The Lord taketh my part with them 
that help me : therefore shall L see my desire upon them 
that hate me. 

By frequent experience of the divine power and mercy, 
from time to time exerted on the behalf of Israel, that nation 
was instructed to trust in Jehovah ; and whenever they did 
so, success and victory never failed to attend their steps. 
Would not the case be the same with us, in all our under- 
takings, if our faith was right and stedfast in God, who 
raised up Jesus from the dead, and who hath promised to 
make us " more than conquerors ?" 

8. Lt is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence 
in man. 9. Lt is better to trust in the Lord, than to put 
confidence in princes. 

Armies of "men," however numerous, and, to appearance, 
powerful, may be routed and dispersed at once. "Princes" 
may not be able to help us ; if able, they may fail us, as not 
being willing to do it ; if both able and willing, they may 
die, ere they can execute their purpose. But that hope 
which is placed in God, can never, by these, or any other 
means, be disappointed. As we so often repeat these two 



DAY XXIV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



505 



verses, let us act agreeably to the declaration which we then 
make, and, instead of courting the world, by undue compli- 
ances, for its deceitful smiles, and treacherous favours, let 
us in all points do our duty, and leave the event to God 
above. To encourage us in the performance of such a reso 
lution as this, let it be remembered, that because our Saviour 
" witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate," and 
with meekness and patience resigned himself to the death of 
the cross for it, therefore God exalted him to glory and honour. 

10. All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the 
Lord will I, or, / did destroy them, 1 1 . They compassed me 
about) yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the 
Lord Twill, or, I did destroy them. 12. They compassed me 
about like bees, they are quenched as the fire of thorns : for 
in the name of the Lord I will, or, / did destroy them. 

The tenor of the Psalm, being one of thanksgiving for a 
deliverance already experienced, seemeth to require that the 
verb at the close of each of these verses, should be rendered 
in the past time; not "I will destroy them," but, "I did 
destroy them; especially as it is said, "they compassed me 
about," and, "they are quenched." As David and Israel 
were encompassed by hostile nations, over whom, through 
God's assistance, they often triumphed ; so the Son of David, 
in the day of his passion, was surrounded by the furious 
multitude of Jews, and Gentiles, seeking his life ; and, after 
the same example, his mystical body, the church, hath fre- 
quently been, on all sides, vexed and persecuted in the world. 
But through the power of Jehovah, Christ overcame, and 
is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. The 
church, likewise, hath often risen superior to the efforts of 
her innumerable and malicious enemies, whose fury hath 
blazed forth against her with the sudden fierceness of "fire," 
when it is applied to a heap of dry " thorns ;" and hath 
been as soon at an end ; she hath triumphed, yea, and she 
will finally triumph, "in the name of the Lord her God." 

13. Thou hast thrust sore at me, that 1 might fall: but the 
Lord helped me. 14. The Lord is my strength and my song, 
and is become my salvation. 15. The voice of rejoicing and 
salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right 
hand of the Lord doth valiantly. 16. The right hand of the 
Lord is exalted ; the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly. 

The church may consider herself as victorious over her 



506 



A COMMENTARY 



[_PS. CXVIII 



great adversary, the author of all evil, who had made his 
grand effort to effect her destruction, by putting to death her 
champion, and king, Messiah. But Jehovah appeared, a L 
the time appointed, to bring him, and virtually, all that 
should believe in him, from the dead. " Thou hast thrust 
sore at me, that I might fall ; but Jehovah helped me." 
Risen, therefore, with Christ, from the grave, we proceed to 
praise Jehovah, in the words which Moses and Israel first 
used, when they had ascended from the depths of the sea, 
and beheld their enemies destroyed for ever; "Jehovah is 
my strength and my song, and is become my salvation."— 
Exod. xv. 2. And never doth that sacred day come round, 
on which the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated, but " the 
voice of rejoicing is in the tabernacles of the righteous;" 
there is a noise of them that sing for joy, in the camp of the 
saints ; the church militant resoundeth with thanksgiving 
and the voice of melody; paradise is restored below, and 
earth beareth some resemblance of heaven, while these trans- 
porting hymns are sung in honour of our great Redeemer. 
He is that "Arm and Right Hand of Jehovah," which hath 
"done valiantly," which hath crushed our strongest enemy, 
and is very high "exalted" over all. "Thy right hand, O 
Lord, is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O Lord, 
hath dashed in pieces the enemy." — Exod. xv. 6. 

17. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the 
Lord. 18. The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath 
not given me over unto death. 

As Christ is risen, "we shall not die, but live;" we shall 
not die eternally, but we shall live, in this world, the life of 
grace; in the world to come, the life of glory; that we may, 
in both, declare the "works," and chant the praises of God 
our Saviour. We are "chastened" for our sins, but "not 
given over to death" and destruction everlasting; nay, our 
being "chastened" is now a proof that we are not so " given 
over; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not ?" 
— Heb. xii. 7. 

19. Open to me the gates of righteousness ; I will go into 
them, and Lwill praise the Lord : 20. This gate, or, This is 
the gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. 
21. I will thank thee, for thou hast heard me, and art be- 
come my salvation. 

The faithful, like David, and his people of old, demand 



DAY XXIV. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



507 



admission into the courts of the Lord's house, there to praise 
him for his great and manifold mercies. But we may extend 
our ideas much farther, and consider the whole company of 
the redeemed, as beholding the angels ready to unbar the 
gates of heaven, and throw open the doors of the eternal 
sanctuary, for the true disciples of the risen and glorified 
Jesus, to enter in. "Open ye," may believers exclaim in 
triumph to those celestial spirits, who delight to minister to 
the heirs of salvation, "open ye the gates of righteousness," 
those gates, through which nothing unclean can pass, "that 
the righteous nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in," 
Isa. xxvi. 2. and sing, with your harmonious choirs, the 
praises of him who sitteth upon the throne ; for he hath 
overcome the sharpness of death, he hath opened the king- 
dom of heaven to all believers. "This is the gate of the 
Lord, into which the righteous shall enter," to take possess- 
ion of the inheritance prepared for them, to "thank" him 
who hath "heard them, and is become their salvation." 

22. The stone which the builders refused is become the 
head stone of the corner. 23. This is the Lord's doing, it 
is marvellous in our eyes. 

Whether this passage had first a reference to the case of 
David,* who, as a refuge of Messiah, was brought from a 
state of rejection and persecution, to the throne of Israel ; 
or whether there be any truth in a Jewish tradition concern- 
ing a certain stone, which, after having been, by the builders 
of the second temple, thrown aside among the rubbish, was 
at last found to be exactly fitted for the honourable place of 
a chief corner stone ; it is neither possible nor needful to 
ascertain. That the verses belong, in a full and proper 
sense, to Messiah, is confessed by the Rabbies, and acknow- 
ledged by all. No text in the Old Testament is quoted by 
the writers of the New, so often as this, which we meet with 
in six different places; namely, Matt. xxi. 42. Markxii. 10. 
Luke xx. 17. Acts iv. 11. Eph. ii. 20. 1 Pet. ii. 4. 
The sum and substance of the New Testament applications 
and expositions, is, that Jesus Christ is the stone here men- 
tioned; that he was rejected and set at nought by the chief 
priests and pharisees, the then builders of the church; but 

* David a Saiile et aliquandiu a decern tribubus reprobatus, ac soli 
Tribui Judse agnitus, deinde omnium princeps ; et sub figura ejus Christus 
a Judseis ac Gentibus impetitus, mox utrorumque caput, ut ipse interpre- 
tatur.— Matt. xxi. 42.— Bossuet. 



508 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CX^ III. 



that, being chosen of God, and precious to him, this most 
valuable stone, thus despised and rejected of men, thus 
thrown among the rubbish, and buried in it, was at length, 
from such a state, exalted to be the chief corner stone in 
the building, the main support of the edifice, and a centre 
of union for Jew and Gentile, the two parts of which it 
consisted ; that this was the work of God, and the admira- 
tion of man. And what can be more truly marvellous, than 
that a person, put to death as a malefactor, and laid in the 
grave, should from thence arise immortal, and become the 
head of an immortal society ; should ascend into heaven, be 
invested with power, and crowned with glory ; and should 
prepare a way for the sons of Adam to follow him into 
those mansions of eternal bliss ! 

24. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will 
rejoice and be glad in it. 

Of the day on which Christ arose from the dead, it may 
with more propriety than of any other day be affirmed, 
"This is the day which Jehovah hath made." Then it was 
that the "rejected stone" became the "head of the corner." 
A morning then dawned, which is to be followed by no 
evening; a brighter sun arose upon the world, which is to 
set no more; a day began, which will never end; and night 
and darkness departed, to return not again. For thus saith 
the Lord to his church, by the prophet Isaiah, " Thy sun 
shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw 
itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the 
days of thy mourning shall be ended." — Isa. xl. 20. Easter 
day is in a peculiar manner consecrated to Him, who by 
his resurrection triumphed over death and hell. On that 
day, through faith, we triumph with him; we "rejoice and 
are glad in his salvation." 

25. Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord'. O Lord, I beseech 
thee, send jiow 'prosperity. 26. Blessed be he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord : we have blessed you out of, or, 
you that are of the house of the Lord. 

As a prelude to the triumphant manner in which Jesus 
Christ, after his resurrection, should ascend to the heavenly 
Jerusalem, he entered the earthly city, before his passion, 
amidst the acclamations of the multitude, who hailed him 
as King of Sion, and, with pa m branches, the emblems 
of victory, in their hands, sung before him these words, 
partly taken from our Psalm, "Hosanna to the Son of David : 



DAY XXIV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



509 



blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna 
in the highest." The word, " Hosanna," is in the original, 
NT&Win "Save now!" The form of words used by the 
people was both a petition and congratulation ; as if they 
had said, Let us beseech Jehovah, in the language of the 
118th Psalm, to grant salvation to the Son of David, and 
to send us now prosperity under him. Blessed is he who 
thus cometh, not in his own name and power, but in the 
name and power of Jehovah, according to the prophecies 
concerning him, to deliver us from all our enemies. Ratify, 
O Jehovah, in the highest, or in heaven, these petitions 
which we make for the salvation and prosperity of our King, 
that thy blessings upon him and us may be established on 
earth. Since the resurrection of our Lord, the faithful have 
expressed, in these two verses, the same wishes and prayers 
for the increase of his kingdom, and the prosperity of his 
house and family, of his ministers and his people. " We 
bless you that are of the house of Jehovah." 

27. God is the Lord, which hath showed us light : bind 
the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 

As Jehovah hath manifested his power and glory, by 
raising Christ from the dead ; as he hath, by so doing, 
"showed us the light" of life and immortality; let us 
observe the festival, which is designed to perpetuate the 
memory of so great and joyful an event. " Christ our 
passover," saith an apostle, "is sacrificed for us; therefore 
let us keep the feast." — 1 Cor. v. 7. Let us keep it, only 
changing legal for evangelical sacraments and ceremonies ; 
let us go to the altar, not to see a figure of the Lamb of 
God, as he was to be slain ; but to behold a representation 
of him as he hath been slain ; to behold in figure, his body 
broken, and his blood poured out ; to eat the bread of life, 
and drink the cup of salvation. 

28. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee : thou art 
my God, I will exalt thee. 29. O give thanks unto the 
Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 

The prophet declareth his resolution to "praise" and to 
" exalt," to magnify and to glorify his " God ;" he then 
concludes, as he began, with exhorting all the world to do 
the same. Preserve to us, blessed Lord, the use of these 
divine hymns in thy church, until, at the resurrection of the 
just, we shall celebrate an Easter in heaven, and sing them 
new in the kingdom of God. 



510 



A COMMENTARY 



PS. CX1X. 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXIX 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm is divided (most probably for the advantage of memory; 
according to the number of letters which compose the Hebrew alphabet, 
into twenty-two portions, of eight verses each; and not only every por- 
tion, but every verse of that portion, begins with the letter appropriated 
to it. David must undoubtedly have been the author. He describeth, 
in a series of devotional meditations, the instruction and the comfort, 
which, through all vicissitudes of mind and fortune, he had ever found 
in the word of God. The many strong expressions of love toward the 
law, and the repeated resolutions and vows to observe it, will often force 
us to turn our thoughts to the true David, " whose meat and drink it was, 
to do the will of him that sent him." The passages more especially 
characteristic of him, as well as those which allude primarily to any 
particular circumstances in the history of the patriarch David, are pointed 
out in the course of the comment. But the chief design through the whole 
hath been, to draw forth the lessons of heavenly wisdom and comfort, 
contained in this interesting composition, for the service of believers, 
who, while they are accomplishing their pilgrimage and warfare upon 
earth, should continually solace themselves with the 119th Psalm, and 
repair to it as to a fountain, which can never be exhausted. Between 
the verses of each portion, a connexion is frequently to be traced, but 
it doth not often seem to extend from one portion to another. The 
many words employed to express the revelations of God's will, have 
distinct significations, denoting different parts or portions of the scrip- 
tures, which it hath sometimes been found of great use to take into 
consideration, while at others the terms appear to be used promiscuously, 
in a general sense, and for the sake of variety. 

ALEPH. — PART I. 

1. Blessed are the undejiled, Heb. perfect, or, sincere in 
the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 

By sin, misery entered into the world : holiness alone, 
therefore, can lead us to happiness. — "The law of Jehovah " 
is the path of life, and by "walking in the way," we shall 
attain to the end. But, alas, we are out of the way; we have 
walked in the law of sin, after the lusts of the flesh; who 
will direct and strengthen us to walk in the law of God after 
the desire of the Spirit? We are fallen from our integrity; 
who will raise us again? The gospel, which was preached 
to Abraham before the Mosaic dispensation, and which was 



DAY XXIV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



511 



prefigured and believed under it, returneth us, to all these 
questions, answers of peace. The Redeemer hath prevailed 
for the pardon of our errors ; the Redeemer hath raised us 
from our fallen state ; he hath reconducted us to the path of 
life; in his name we arise and walk; he maketh us righteous, 
and, consequently, he maketh us "blessed." For, "Blessed 
are the sincere in the way, who walk in the law of Jehovah." 
i 2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that 
seek him with their whole heart. 

The divine revelations and institutions, whether of the old 
or the new law, are called God's " testimonies ;" they are 
the witnesses of his will, and the pledges of his love. They 
are committed to the church, as a precious deposit, or trust, 
to be by her children "kept," and observed. In and by 
these God is to be sought; "they that seek him with their 
whole heart," with ardent and undivided affection, fail not 
to find him, as an instructor and comforter ; and they who 
find him, find all things, and are " blessed " indeed. 

3. They also that do no iniquity, they that walk in his ways. 
O blissful state of those, who are redeemed from the earth, 

and all earthly desires; who are delivered from the dominion 
of sin; who "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth," 
and, like Zacharias and Elisabeth, "walk in the statutes and 
ordinances of the Lord, blameless." — Luke i. 6. Enrol us, 
O Lord, in the happy number of these thy servants; pardon 
our offences ; give us a new nature, and new desires, averse 
from sin, and inclined to sanctity ; and guard us, that the 
wicked one touch us not. 

4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 
He who made us and redeemed us, hath a double right 

to our service. We are not our own, having been bought 
with the blood of our Lord ; his will, therefore, and not our 
own, is to be done by us. And his will is, that we should 
" keep his precepts diligently," because in "keeping" them, 
and in keeping them "diligently," so as not to halt between 
God and the world, but to serve one Master only, doth our 
happiness consist. Now when the commands of our Supe- 
rior, and our greatest Benefactor, of our Friend, our Father, 
and our God, coincide with our own interests, temporal and 
eternal, what pretext can there be for disobedience and 
rebellion ? 

5. O that my ways were directed, or, prepared, and esta- 
blished, to keep thy statutes I 



512 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXTX. 



The faithful soul, enraptured with the contemplation of 
that blessedness, which is the consequence of serving God, 
but conscious, at the same time, of an inability to attain it, 
sighs after the refreshing and strengthening influences of 
divine grace. She beholdeth her Saviour afar off ; she be- 
holdeth the beauty and glorious majesty of his heavenly 
kingdom; she beholdeth the way which leads to it ; but she 
hath not power to walk therein. This consideration causeth 
her to groan earnestly within herself, and at length to breathe 
forth a wish, that the Spirit of truth and love would fix 
and establish her in a holy course of thinking, speaking, 
and acting, upon all occasions, and would prevent her from 
turning aside out of it to the right hand, or to the left. 

6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I give respect unto 
all thy commandments. 

All the commandments have the same author, and the 
same sanction. He who thinketh to atone for the breach of 
one, by the observation of another ; he who reserveth to 
himself a licence of indulging any favourite darling lust, 
while, in general, he preserveth the appearance of an exem- 
plary conduct, is a hypocrite, and, unless he repent, will be 
Drought to " shame," if not before men here, yet before men 
and angels hereafter. — " Shame" is the fruit of sin; confi- 
dence is the effect of righteousness. Wherefore in all our 
proceedings, let us "have respect," not to the opinions of 
men, to the corrupt customs of the world, or to the deceitful 
suggestions of our own hearts, but "to the commandments, 
to all the commandments of God;" let us, as St. John ex- 
horteth, "abide in Christ; that when he shall appear, we 
may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his 
coming." — 1 John ii. 28. 

7. / will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I 
shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 

Confidence in God will always be productive of joy, and 
undissembled " praise " will accompany true conversion. 
The scriptures are styled "God's righteous judgments," as 
containing an account of his decrees and determinations 
concerning us, with a history of cases and precedents, en- 
tered upon record for our admonition. By these we are to 
form our opinions, and to regulate our conduct. And when 
we shall have so "learned" these, as to walk according to 
them, we shall praise God with an "upright heart ;" our 
tongues will utter what our hearts feel. 



DAY XXIV. E. P.J OX THE PSALMS. 



5i3 



8. I will keep thy statutes : O forsake me not utterly. 
The result of our meditations on God's word, and on the 

advantages of studying, in order to observe its directions, 
should always be a resolution so to do, and a prayer for 
grace to execute that resolution. Lord, we " will keep thy 
statutes;" for love can do all things, when thou hast shed 
it abroad in our hearts. "Love worketh no ill; therefore 
love is the fulfilling of the law;" Rom. xiii. 10. and mercy 
will accept what grace enableth us to perform. Be thou, 
therefore, ever with us, and "forsake us not;" or if, at any 
time, to try our faith, and to exercise our patience, thou 
shouldest depart from us, and leave us to ourselves for a 
time, short be thy absence, and speedy thy return ! " O 
forsake us not utterly ! " 

BETH. — PART II. 

9. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way I By 
taking heed thereto according to thy word. 

Youth enters upon the journey of life, headstrong and in- 
experienced, with a bias of original corruption, and all the 
passions awake. In such circumstances, how shall a young 
man direct his steps, so as to " escape the pollution that is 
in the world through lust?"-— 2 Pet. i. 4. He must, for 
this purpose, take with him the directions to be found in the 
scriptures of truth. " I have written unto you, young men," 
says the beloved disciple, " because ye are strong, and the 
word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the 
wicked one." He who became man for our salvation, 
passed through this state of youth, undenled, that he might, 
as it were, reclaim and consecrate it anew to God. Let 
every young man often meditate on this circumstance. 

10. With my whole heart have I sought thee : O let me 
not wander from thy coni]nandments. 

Despairing of sufficient assistance from any other quarter, 
because no one else can either show us the way to heaven, 
or enable us to walk therein, even if it could be shown, 
" with our whole heart have we sought thee," O God, thy 
direction, and thine aid ; and thou hast promised, that they 
who "seek shall find;" like sheep without a shepherd are 
we given to stray; O preserve us from error, in principle, 
and in practice; "let us not wander from thy command- 
ments." 

2 L 



514 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



] 1. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not 
sin against thee. 

The young man who would cleanse his way, and take 
heed according to God's word, must " lay up that word in 
his heart ;" for from the heart are "the issues of life," the 
thoughts, the words, and the actions; when God ruleth in 
the heart by his word and Spirit, these become his subjects; 
then " the kingdom of heaven is within us," and all is 
obedience, peace, and love. Thou art our King, O Lord 
Jesu; suffer no usurper to possess thy place in our affec- 
tions; permit no other Lord to have dominion over us. 

12. Blessed art thou, O Lord : teach me thy statutes. 
He who is "blessed" can make us so; he who de- 

lighteth to communicate " blessing," will do it, if we ask 
him, by " teaching us his statutes," which conform us to 
his nature, that we may live his life, and bless his name 
for ever. When the word of God is our lesson, the Spirit 
of God must be our Master. 

13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of 
thy mouth. 

The best sign that God hath " taught us his statutes," and 
the greatest inducement to him to teach us still more and 
more, is a readiness to make others partakers of those bless- 
ings, which we ourselves have received from him. Jehovah 
fashions the " lips" of man, and he expects that they should 
be employed in his service. " Out of the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaketh," and the stream will always show 
the nature of the fountain. When we make the scriptures 
the subject of our conversation, we glorify God, we edify 
our neighbours, and we improve ourselves. 

14. / have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much 
as in all riches. 

Truth and holiness afford to the sincere believer a plea- 
sure more exquisite, as well as more solid and enduring, 
than that which a miser feels at the acquisition of his darling 
wealth. Let us no longer envy the joys of worldly men, 
no longer be chagrined at the prosperity of the wicked. 
The " true riches" we may always acquire; and, surely, as 
much as the heaven is higher than the earth, so much are 
heavenly joys above earthly, in kind, degree, and duration. 

15. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto 
thy ways. 



DAY XXIV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



515 



Meditation is that exercise of the mind, whereby it recalls 
a known truth, as some kinds of creatures do their food, to 
be ruminated upon, until all the nutritious parts are ex- 
tracted, and fitted for the purposes of life. By study we 
lay in knowledge, by meditation we reduce that knowledge 
to practice. And we have then duly " meditated on God's 
precepts," when in all our proceedings we "have respect 
unto his ways," comparing our actions with the rule of his 
word. 

16. I will delight myself in thy statutes : I will not forget 
thy word. 

By freo A uent meditation and continual practice, the divine 
" statutes" will become our " delight;" and from the plea- 
sures, as well as from the cares of the world, we shall gladly 
fly to them for recreation and comfort. Of holy exercises 
there is great variety, and spiritual joys are without number. 
Lord make us to "delight ourselves in thy statutes," and 
when we delight in what we learn, we shall easily retain it 
in memory; " we shall not forget thy word." 

GIMEL.— PART III. 

17. Deal bountifully with thy servant ; that I may live, 
and keep thy word. 

In the foregoing parts of the Psalm, we have heard the 
believer declaring the excellence of God's word, and ex- 
pressing both his desire and his resolution to observe its 
directions. He now beseecheth God to remove all impedi- 
ments, and to accomplish this work in him. And as a man 
must " live," in order to " work," the first petition is, that 
God would " deal with his servant," according to the mea- 
sures of grace and mercy, enabling him to " live" the life 
of faith, and strengthening him by the Spirit of might in the 
inner man, to " keep the word" of truth, and to walk in the 
commandments of his blessed Master, all his days. 

18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous 
things out of thy law. 

So far are we naturally from being able to " keep" the 
word, that we are not able to understand it. The law of 
God is full of divine and spiritual truths, concealed under 
literal histories, visible signs, and external ceremonies. To 
discern these mfc^Eft " wondrous," because hidden, myste- 

2 l2 



510 



A COMMENTARY 



[rs. cxjx. 



rious things, our "eyes/' the eyes of our understanding, 
must be " unveiled;" that " veil" must be taken off, which 
St. Paul affirmeth to be upon the hearts of the Jews, " in 
reading the Old Testament," and which will continue there, 
until they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the veil 
will be taken away, and they will behold him, and the re- 
demption by him, as prefigured in their law, and foretold 
by their prophets.* Pride, prejudice, and interest will com- 
pose a veil, through which a Christian shall see as little of 
the New Testament, as a Jew doth of the Old. Lord, con- 
vince us of our blindness, and restore to us our sight. 

19. I am a stranger in the earth, hide not thy command- 
ments from me. 

The above request for divine illumination is enforced 
by this argument, that the petitioner is a " stranger," and a 
sojourner upon "the earth;" he is travelling, through a 
foreign country, to his native city, where are his kindred, his 
treasure, and his heart; as a sojourner, he hath renounced 
the world, which is therefore become his enemy; as a 
stranger, he is fearful of loosing his way ; on these accounts 
he requesteth, that God would compensate the loss of earthly 
comforts, by affording the light of heaven; that he would 
not "hide his commandments," but show and teach him 
those steps, by which he may ascend toward heaven, rejoic- 
ing in hope of future glory. 

20. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto 
thy judgments at all times. 

Another argument here urged, is that " longing" desire 
which the soul hath, during her state of pilgrimage below, 
unto the revelations of God's will. Grieved and vexed at 
the prospect of sin, vanity, and folly, and finding nothing 
below that will satisfy the desires of an immortal spirit, she 
setteth her affections on the better things above, which are 
proposed in the scriptures as the proper objects of our 
wishes. Her appetite for the divine word is keen as that of 
hunger, or thirst, and "hope deferred maketh the heart sick." 
This disposition is not a transient fit, but it is constant and 
uniform " at all times." 

* " Revela oculos meos;" aperi, dispelle umbras, tolle velamentum, 
quo spirituales oculi conteguntur. " Considerabo mirabilia: " ut penitus 
introspiciam, non literam tantum, ac velut corticem legis, sed arcana spi- 
ritualia, puta in sabbatis requiem sempiternam, simplieitatem in azymis, 
in victimis obedientiam, et ubique Christum. — Bossuet. 



DAY XXIV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



517 



21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which 
do err from thy commandments. 

The consideration of the wretched condition of impeni- 
tent sinners, is another reason, why we entreat God to set 
and to keep us in the way of his commandments. " Pride" 
produceth "error," and obstinacy in that error; obstinate 
transgressors reject the call, the covenant, and the terms of 
the gospel; to such the "curse" of the law is ratified and 
sealed, and mercy consigns them over to justice, which 
seldom fails to give them some "rebukes," even in this 
world, for a foretaste to them, and a warning to others. 

22. Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have 
kept thy testimonies. 

"Reproach and contempt" are liberally bestowed by the 
world upon men, who, being not of it, reprove its deeds by 
their exemplary conduct. These, to beginners more espe- 
cially, are sore lets and hinderances in the way of duty ; and 
after the example of David, we may beseech God to " re- 
move" them from us, when we suffer them in his cause, and 
know ourselves to be innocent of the crimes laid to our 
charge. In the mean time, to comfort ourselves under them, 
let us remember, that He, who alone, in the strict and un- 
limited sense of the words, could say, " I have kept thy 
testimonies," sustained the utmost degree of " reproach and 
contempt," for our sakes, and was patient and resigned 
under it all, until God " removed" it from him by a glorious 
resurrection. There remaineth likewise a resurrection for 
the mystical body of Christ; and then, "Wisdom will be 
justified of all her children." 

23. Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy 
servant did meditate in thy statutes. 

" Princes" and rulers have often " sat" in council upon 
the "servants" of God, and "spoken," in judgment, false 
things " against them," as they did against their blessed 
Master, in the days of his flesh. David hath taught us how 
to act in such circumstances. We are not to renounce the 
creed, or the commandments, should it so happen that " the 
rulers and the pharisees" neither believe the former, nor ob- 
serve the latter; but rather we should "meditate, "more than 
ever, in the scriptures; that we may draw from thence com- 
fort in the troubles, and direction in the difficulties, which 
persecution bringeth upon us ; always bearing in mind, when 



518 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



princes command any thing contrary to the word of God, 
that our service is due to a higher Master; " thy servant 
did meditate in thy statutes." 

24. Thy testimonies also are my delight, and, my coun- 
sellors. 

Pleasure and wisdom, as the world hath ordered matters, 
are almost incompatible; insomuch that Solomon, relating 
the experience he had had of voluptuousness, mentions it as 
a thing out of the ordinary course, that " his wisdom" all 
the time " remained with him." — Eccl. ii. 9. But they who 
meditate in the word of God, find a pleasure, which hath 
wisdom for its inseparable companion. Their sorrow is dis- 
pelled, and .their doubts are resolved. For how can he be 
sorrowful, who sits by the fountain of joy? How can he 
be long in doubt, who hath the prophets and apostles for 
his counsellors? 

DALETH.— PART IV. 

25. My soul cleaveth to the dust: quicken thou me ac- 
cording to thy word. 

The Psalmist, in a state of affliction and humiliation, 
still seeketh relief, by prayer, from the scriptures. His 
circumstances vary, but his affection to the word of God 
continueth the same. Every one, whose affections are set 
on things below, hath reason to exclaim with David, " My 
soul cleaveth to the dust." From this kind of death we are 
" quickened," or made alive, by the gospel, through that 
same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead, and which 
shall raise us also, at the last day. Then soul and body, 
perfected together, shall take their final farewell of earth, 
and ascend to heaven, where the soul shall feel no passion 
but the love of God, and the body shall have no employ- 
ment but to express it. 

26. / have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach 
me thy statutes. 

We should freely and ingenuously " declare" to God in 
prayer our sins, our temptations, our sorrows, and our under- 
takings ; it argues love, confidence, and sincerity, so to do ; 
it is a means of acquainting us with our own state, of which 
generally we are ignorant ; and it will not fail to procure us 
those aids from above, of which we stand in need. God 
will " hear" us; he will pardon our offences, strengthen us 



DAY XXIV. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



519 



in our trials, dispel our grief, and prosper the work of our 
hands upon us. These mercies, when received, should in- 
cline us to walk worthy of them, and, for that purpose, to 
beg the farther instruction and direction of the divine Spirit. 
" I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me — teach 
me thy statutes." 

27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts : so 
shall I talk, or, meditate of thy wondrous works, or, thy 
mysteries. 

The heart of the troubled Psalmist is intent upon duty, 
and the deliverance which he chiefly requesteth is that from 
ignorance and error. True knowledge cometh from God, 
and it cannot be too often desired of him. It is pleasant as 
the light, extensive as the heavens, and more profitable than 
the treasures of eastern kings. He who is led to " under- 
stand" the celestial " mysteries" of the scriptures, will never 
want subjects for " meditation," and should never permit 
those subjects either to slip out of his mind, or to lie unim- 
proved in it. 

28. My soul melteth for heaviness; strengthen thou me 
according to thy word. 

Let us not marvel, if sin bring us to the knowledge of 
sorrow, since he, who "knew no sin," was yet, on our ac- 
count, intimately " acquainted with grief." In the garden, 
his soul "melted for heaviness," and "there appeared an 
angel from heaven strengthening him." — Luke xxii. 43. Our 
transgressions deserve an eternity of sorrow; let us not, 
therefore, repine at any portion of it, that may fall to our 
share in time. No, blessed Jesu, let us suffer with thee, as 
both a means and a pledge of our future glorification with 
thee. Only " strengthen us, according to" the promises in 
"thy word." In this life, all we ask is faith and patience; 
faith, to assure us that thou orderest all things for the best; 
and patience to preserve that faith. These were the pro- 
visions with which thy best beloved servants of old travelled 
through this mortal life. Enable us, upon whom the ends 
of the world are come, to do the same; that so, when the 
days of our earthly pilgrimage shall be happily accom- 
plished, we may sit down, with Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, in thy heavenly kingdom. 

29. Remove from me the way of lying; and grant me thy 



520 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



law graciously. 30. / have chosen the way of truth : thy 
judgments have I laid before me. 

It is plain that " the way of truth," in the latter of these 
two verses, is opposed to " the way of lying," or of " false- 
hood," in the former. The one comprehends every thing in 
doctrine and practice that is right, and therefore "true;" 
the other denotes every thing which is wrong, and therefore 
" false." Of these two ways man hath his choice. God 
points out to him the former by his Word, and offers to con- 
duct him in it by his Spirit. Satan shows him the latter, 
and endeavours to seduce him into it by his temptations. 
The Psalmist declareth himself to have "chosen" God's way, 
and to have " laid" the scriptures " before him," as the chart 
by which he was to direct his course. He, therefore, prays 
that the other way may be far " removed" from him; and 
that God would vouchsafe him such a thorough acquaintance 
with the " way" of truth, as might prevent him from ever 
wandering into the path of error. How much depends upon 
the road we choose ! How difficult is it, in a divided and 
distracted world, to choose aright ! Yet this choice, so im- 
portant, so difficult, frequently remains to be made by us, 
when we have neither judgment to choose, nor strength to 
travel ! 

31. / have stuck unto thy testimonies; O Lord, put me 
not to shame. 

Having once chosen our road, it remains that we persevere 
in it; since better had it been for us never to have known 
the way of truth, than to forsake it, when known; and we 
have the same reasons to go on, which induced us to begin; 
nay, though the love of the world may require novelty and 
variety to support it, yet, in the blessed union of the soul 
with its Redeemer, true affection will increase with time and 
acquaintance. The Psalmist doth not say only, " I have 
followed," but " I have stuck unto thy testimonies;" I have 
adhered so closely and firmly to them, that temptation has 
in vain essayed to allure, and persecution as vainly attempted 
to force me from them. And, therefore, he beseecheth God 
so to continue his grace and favour, that he may never, by 
falling from his stedfastness, disgrace his Master, his cause, 
his brethren, himself, nor be put to shame at the last day. 
" O Lord, put me not to shame ! " 



DAY XXV. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



521 



32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou 
shalt enlarge my heart. 

The true Christian is always proceeding in the way of 
godliness, though not always with equal pace. In grief, 
whether for temporal or spiritual losses, the heart is con- 
tracted, and the spirits are all summoned home to comfort 
and support it, so that the faculties are left feeble and slug- 
gish ; and then the progress can be but slow. This was the 
Psalmist's case. But even then he promises, that when God, 
by sending him joy and gladness, should "enlarge his heart," 
dilate his spirits, and put life and strength into his actions, 
he would quicken his pace in proportion, and, with renewed 
vigour and alacrity, "run the way" of the divine "command- 
ments," until it should have brought him to rest and felicity 
in the bosom of God. 

TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER, 
HE.— PART V. 

33. Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I 
shall keep it unto the end. 

Instruction from above is necessary for the children of 
God, while they continue in this world. The more we 
know, the more we shall desire to know; we shall beg a 
daily supply of grace, as well as of bread; and a taste of 
" the cluster of Eshcol"will make us long after the vintage 
of Canaan. — Numb. xiii. 23. Religion is the art of holy 
living, and then only known when it is practised; as he is 
not a master of music, who can read the notes which com- 
pose it, but he who has learned how to take a lesson readily 
from the book, and play it on his instrument : after which, 
the pleasure it affords will be a sufficient motive for continu- 
ing so to do. " Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; 
and I shall keep it unto the end." 

34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law ; 
yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 

Much " understanding" is needful in order to the "obser- 
vation" of the law, that we may know what is commanded, 
and what is forbidden, and how far; that we may avoid the 
snares laid for us in the way of duty; that we may respect 
things according to their due rank and worth; that we may 



522 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



do good works in their proper time, place and manner; 
above all, that the affections may be directed by the judg- 
ment, and not the judgment by the affections. The law 
cannot be observed unless it be understood; and it is un- 
derstood in vain, unless it be observed; or rather, if it be 
indeed understood, if there be upon the mind, at all times, 
a full conviction of divine truths, and their excellency, not 
only in themselves, but compared with the offers of the world, 
the flesh, and the devil, then it will certainly operate in 
hearty obedience. " Give me understanding, and I shall 
keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." 

35. Make me to go, or, conduct me in the path of thy 
commandments, for therein do I delight. 

He who teacheth us the way to heaven, must also "con- 
duct" us in it, and the same grace must give light and 
strength. The scripture is our rule, the Spirit is our guide ; 
and from beginning to end, it is God who inclines, prepares, 
and enables us, " to go in the" clean and pleasant " path of 
his commandments;" a path, which leads us far from the 
noise and pollution of the world, through a paradise of pro- 
mises and comforts, grateful as the fragrance of early spring, 
or the incense ascending from the holy altar. Happy the 
soul that can say to God, " therein do I delight;" which is 
at the same time a reason for her to ask, and for him to 
grant, a continuance and perseverance therein. 

36. hicline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to 
covetousness. 

The wit of man may conceive, and his tongue may utter, 
great things of God and holiness, while his heart is averse 
from both; therefore David saith, not only, " Give me un- 
derstanding," but, " incline my heart." Our true characters 
are formed by the desires of our hearts, which, not finding 
satisfaction in themselves, must seek it in something without 
them. The world offers itself first; and custom, as well as 
nature, inclineth us to the love of that, and of money which 
commandeth all things in it. Such love is contrary to the 
love of God, being one of the thorns which choke the seed, 
and render it unfruitful. Therefore the Psalmist requesteth, 
that his heart may be " inclined to the divine testimonies, 
and not to covetousness." And as God only can change the 
disposition of the heart, to God he preferreth his petition. 
It is to be observed, that by the words, " Incline not my 



DAY XXV. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



523 



heart to covetousness," is meant, "suffer not my heart to 
be inclined," or, "give it not over to covetousness." 

37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity : and 
quicken thou me in thy way. 

"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity ;" and what 
is there else on earth to behold ? What is there which, 
when possessed, doth not disappoint the expectation con- 
ceived of it, the possessors themselves being judges? So- 
lomon took an inventory of the world, and all the best things 
in it; he cast up the account, and the sum total was, vanity. 
The "eye" is the grand inlet of temptation, and by "be- 
holding," we come to desire and long after the objects of 
sense; from which time our affection toward the objects of 
faith waxeth cold. "Turn away our eyes," therefore, O 
Lord, "from beholding vanity, and quicken us in thy way;" 
mortify the flesh, and the spirit shall live. 

38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted 
to thy fear. 

The "word" here intended is the word of promise, which 
the believer entreateth God to "stablish," confirm, or accom- 
plish to him by his sanctification, that so he may walk in the 
way of truth and life. He pleadeth his title to the promise, 
as a " servant " of God, and one who " feared " to offend him. 

39. Turn away my reproach which I fear : for thy judg- 
ments are good. 

The " reproach" which we have all most reason to dread, 
and to pray that God would keep far from us here and here- 
after, is that of having forsaken and apostatized from those 
statutes and "judgments" revealed in the scriptures, which 
we own to be so "good," so pleasant, and so profitable. 

40. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts : quicken me 
in thy righteousness. 

The Psalmist appealeth to God, the searcher of hearts, for 
the truth of the protestation he was about to make, that the 
desire of his soul was toward the divine word ; not only 
toward the promises, to believe and embrace them, but also 
toward the "precepts," to observe and to do them. He 
therefore prayeth with confidence, that God would finish 
the work he had begun, and enable him to carry his wishes, 
into execution, by continually "quickening" and enlivening 
him more and more through grace, to finish his course "in 



524 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXTX. 

righteousness," and to obtain that crown which is to be the 
reward of it. 

VAU. — PART VI. 

41. Let thy mercies come also unto ?ne, O Lord, even thy 
salvation according to thy word. 

Persecution and affliction, of which they never fail, in 
some way or other, to have their share, who live godly in 
Christ Jesus, should teach us, like David, to fly for refuge 
to that " mercy," from whence proceedeth all " salvation," 
temporal and eternal ; and to pray, without ceasing, for the 
accomplishment of that "Word," which promiseth to the 
people of God deliverance out of all their troubles. 

42. So shall I have to answer him that reproacheth me; 
for I trust in thy word. 

A believer, trusting in the promises of God, when the 
whole world hath forsaken him, and no sign or probability 
appears of their being fulfilled, is always, among the wicked, 
an object of scorn and " reproach." Such was David, when 
Shimei cursed him. Such was our blessed Master, when 
men said, " He trusted in God that he would deliver him, 
let him deliver him now if he will have him." And his dis- 
ciples are not to expect better usage. " Therefore," saith 
one of them, " we both labour and suffer reproach, because 
we trust in the living God." — 1 Tim. iv. 10. To silence 
these reproaches, we beseech God to manifest his mercy in 
our salvation. The resurrection of Jesus was an " answer" 
to his blasphemers ; and the mouth of all wickedness will be 
stopped at the last day. 

43. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my 
mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgment. 

In the mean time, while affliction presseth hard upon us, 
while our deliverance is deferred, and the enemy is suffered 
to reproach and blaspheme, our prayer must be, that God 
would -give us courage and utterance, still to confess him 
before men, and boldly to speak his " word of truth," for the 
edification of some, and the confutation of others ; as know- 
ing, that our faith is not vain, nor shall we be disappointed 
of our " hope," since both are built upon the "judgment," 
or revealed decrees of him, who can neither err, nor deceive. 



DAY XXV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



525 



44. So shall I keep thy law continually, for ever and ever. 
By means of strength and power from above, we shall be 

enabled to serve God in adversity, as well as in prosperity ; 
and amidst all difficulties and dangers, into which the path 
of duty may lead us, Charity will persevere in it, till arriving 
at the gate of heaven, and there taking leave of her compa- 
nions and fellow travellers, Faith and Hope, she shall enter 
those blissful regions, to perform to eternity that perfect 
will of God, which the infirmities of fallen nature prevented 
her from having so fully performed here below. 

45. And I will walk at liberty ', for I seek thy precepts. 
No external pressure can take away that spiritual "liberty" 

which the faithful Christian experienceth when he hath 
made an open confession of the truth, and determined at all 
events to do his duty. Then he is no longer straitened 
by fear, but set at large by love. " The truth maketh him 
free, and he walketh in the liberty of the children of God;" 
a liberty, which they only obtain, who " seek his precepts," 
and, by the performance of them, are rescued from the 
bondage, both of tyrannical desires and slavish fears. 

46. I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and 
will not be ashamed. 

A prophet may be called "before kings," either in the 
course of his office, to instruct them, or else, in a judiciary 
way, to give an account of his faith. In either case, if he 
" walketh at liberty," he will " speak of God's testimonies," 
with due reverence to the person and authority of his prince, 
but as one who is neither afraid nor " ashamed" to declare 
the whole counsel of heaven to any being upon earth. 

47. And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which 
I have loved. 48. My hands also will I lift ap unto thy 
commandments, which I have loved : and I will meditate in 
thy statutes. 

He who would preach boldly to others, must himself 
" delight" in the practice of what he preacheth. If there 
be in us a new nature, it will " love the commandments of 
God," as being congenial to it: on that which we love we 
shall continually be " meditating; " and our meditation will 
end in action; we shall "lift up the hands which hang 
down," Heb. xii. 12. that they may "work the works of 
God, while it is day; because the night cometh, when no 
man can work." — John ix. 4. 



526 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



ZAIN.— PART VII. 

49. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou 
hast caused me to hope. 

God promiseth salvation before he giveth it, to excite our 
desire of it, to exercise our faith, to prove our sincerity, to 
perfect our patience. For these purposes, he seemeth to 
have sometimes forgotten his word, and to have deserted 
those whom he had engaged to succour and relieve ; in which 
case, he would have us, as it were, to remind him of his 
promise, and solicit his performance of it. The Psalmist 
here instructeth us to prefer our petition upon these grounds; 
first, that God cannot prove false to his own word : — " Re- 
member the word unto thy servant; " secondly, that he will 
never disappoint an expectation which himself hath raised; 
— " upon which thou hast caused me to hope." 

50. This is my comfort in my affliction : for thy word 
hath quickened me. 

While performance is delayed, we "rejoice in hope;" 
Rom. xii. 12. and the promise is our " comfort in affliction; " 
a comfort divine, strong, lasting; a comfort, that will not, 
like all others, fail us when we most want it, in the day of 
sickness, and at the hour of death; but will always keep 
pace with our necessities, increasing in proportion as the 
pleasures of the world and the flesh decrease in us, and then 
becoming complete, when they are no more. So powerful 
is the word of God to revive us when dead, either in sins, 
or in sorrow; — " thy word hath quickened me." 

51 . The proud hath had me greatly in derision : yet have 
I not declined from thy law. 

A true servant of God believeth the promises, and prac- 
tiseth the precepts of his blessed Master. The haughty 
infidel will scoff at him for one part of his conduct; the 
insolent worldling will ridicule him for the other. But 
neither will induce him to disbelieve, or to disobey. Let us 
be certain that we have the divine " law" for our warrant 
in what we believe, and in what we do; and then, let not 
the " derision of the proud" prevail upon us to " decline 
from it." 

52. i" remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and 
have comforted myself. 

The great remedy against that temptation which ariseth 



DAY XXV. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



527 



from the reproaches of our scornful and insulting adversa- 
ries, is here prescribed, namely, a " remembrance of God's 
judgments of old," whether we understand the "judgments" 
of his mouth, or those of his hand; his righteous decrees 
for the punishment of bad, and reward of good men, or the 
many and wonderful instances of his executing those decrees, 
from the beginning of the world, recorded in the sacred 
history. These are sources of real and endless " comfort" 
upon such occasions; because nothing can happen to us 
which hath not happened to God's people "of old;" no 
case, of which there is not a precedent in scripture, where 
we may read the process of similar trials, their issue, and 
the final sentence of the Judge, who is still the same, and 
whose rule of procedure and determination is invariable. 

53. Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the 
wicked that forsake thy law. 

The consequence of a due meditation on God's judgments 
will be a compassion for the "wicked," on whom those 
judgments, in the end, fall ; so that instead of feeling for 
ourselves, on account of the injuries they do us, we shall 
feel for them, who are thereby drawing down vengeance and 
destruction on their own heads. " Daughters of Jerusalem," 
said the bjessed Jesus, when led to be crucified, " weep 
not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children." 
— Luke xxiii. 28. 

54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my 
pilgrimage. 

The soul, which descended from above, and longs to re- 
turn thither again, is a stranger and a sojourner upon earth. 
The body is " the house of her pilgrimage," in which she 
is confined, during her state of exile. And, how harsh 
soever the usage may be which she receiveth from the world, 
she ever findeth joy and comfort, as once did the fugitive 
and wandering son of Jesse in making God's " statutes" 
the subjects of her psalms, and hymns, and spiritual "songs," 
until death shall restore her to liberty. Then, ascending to 
heaven from whence she came, and, like the early lark, 
singing as she ascends, she will seek her native abode ; there 
to celebrate her redemption from the earth, and to chant 
forth the praises of Him who hath redeemed her, in a new 
song, before the throne. 



528 A COMMENTARY [PS. CX1X. 

55. / have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, 
and have kept thy law. 

By the " name" of God, his nature, so much at least of 
it as we are concerned to know, and are capable of receiving, 
is revealed to us. Such a love had the Psalmist for it, on 
that account, that, as in the day God's statutes were his 
songs, in the night God's name was the subject of his medi- 
tation. With his tongue he praised him in the day, with 
his heart he desired him in the night-watches. At night, 
the dissipation, noise, and hurry of business cease ; external 
silence produceth internal calmness and composure, inviting 
us to celestial contemplation; the world is dead to us, and 
we are dead to the world; the soul is then most alive, and 
seemeth to experience a foretaste of that time, when the body 
and its concerns shall no more molest and impede her. The 
good effect of hours thus secretly passed in holy exercises, 
will appear openly in our lives and conversations; " I have 
remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and," as the 
fruit of it, " have kept thy law." 

56. This I had, because I kept thy commandments. 

As one sin is often the consequence and the punishment 
of another, so one act of obedience is the issue and the re- 
ward of another ; and to him who hath well used the grace 
already received, shall more be given. "This I had," this 
ability to perform my duty, and to delight in the perform- 
ance of it day and night, was vouchsafed unto me, " be- 
cause I kept thy commandments," because I was not here- 
tofore disobedient, but employed the strength with which 
thou, O Lord, has endued me, not in doing mine own will, 
but thine. 

CHETH. — PART VIII. 

57. Thou art my portion, O Lord : I have said that I 
would keep thy words. 

Happy the man, who can sincerely say — " Thou art my 
portion, O Lord; " I have considered, and made my choice; 
from henceforth, I renounce all things for the love of thee; 
thou art sufficient for me; thee only I desire to enjoy, and, 
therefore, thee only I desire to please ; " I have said that I 
would keep thy words." 



DAY XXV. M P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



529 



58. / entreated thy favour with my whole heart : be mer- 
ciful unto ?ne, according to thy word. 

He who hath chosen God for his " portion," will earnestly 
seek his "favour," and the light of his countenance; he 
who hath promised and vowed to " keep the words" of God, 
hath need to seek that favour and that light, that he may 
have grace and power to fulfil his engagements. Mercy is 
the sole fountain of every good gift for which we ask, and 
God's promise the only ground upon which we ask it; "be 
merciful unto me, according to thy word." 

59. i~ thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy 
testimonies. 

The Psalmist did not content himself with barely praying 
for strength and grace, but his faith, relying on the word of 
promise, put itself in motion. He considered his "ways," 
his course of thinking, speaking, and acting; how far he 
had proceeded in it, and whither it led him; and this con- 
sideration produced a conversion of the whole man, of the 
heart and its affections, from the creature to the Creator, as 
he hath revealed himself in the scriptures of truth; "I 
turned my feet unto thy testimonies." 

60. / made haste, and delayed not to keep thy command- 
ments. 

A true penitent suffereth no time to be lost between his 
good resolutions and the performance of them. " Draw 
me," saith the church, "and we will run after thee." — 
Cant. i. 4. Andrew, Peter, and others, stayed not for a 
second call from Christ, but followed him immediately upon 
the first. By deferring our return to duty, we lose many 
comfortable fruits, which it would have produced both in 
ourselves and others, while the difficulties of ever returning, 
and the danger of never returning, are daily and hourly 
increasing. 

61. The bands, or, troops of the ungodly have robbed me: 
but I have not forgotten thy law. 

To be robbed, or plundered of his possessions in this 
world, was by no means a case peculiar to David. The pri- 
mitive Christians were continually so treated; and our Lord 
gives all his disciples warning to stand prepared for such 
events, ready in disposition, in heart and mind, to quit all 
as they who first followed him literally did. The apostle 

2 M 



530 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



tells us of some, who not only bore patiently, but even 
"took joyfully the spoiling of their goods:" the reason he 
assigns for so extraordinary a behaviour, deserves to be 
noted and remembered; " knowing that they had in heaven 
a better and an enduring substance." — Heb. x. 34. They 
who part with earth to gain heaven, and exchange the world 
for its Maker, certainly lose nothing by the bargain. Nay, 
there will come an hour, when, for that foretaste of glory 
which a good conscience afFordeth to its happy possessor, 
the dearest lover of mammon would joyfully give up all the 
gold of Peru, and all the diamonds of Indostan. 

62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, be- 
cause of thy righteous judgments. 

So far were temporal losses from causing the Psalmist to 
forsake God, that he sought him the more earnestly and fer- 
vently on that account, rising at " midnight to give thanks" 
for all his " righteous judgments" and dispensations toward 
his servants. Thus Paul and Silas, not only impoverished, 
but imprisoned, for the testimony of Jesus ; yet in that situa- 
tion, with their feet fast in the stocks, sang " praises at mid- 
night," thereby turning their night into day, and their prison 
into a paradise; when, lo, their hallelujahs ascended to 
heaven, and God arose to judgment; the earth trembled, the 
doors were opened, the chains fell off, the jailer and his 
family were converted, and the apostles set at liberty. And 
although there be no obligation upon men to "rise at mid- 
night," in order to " give thanks;" yet, if they who awake 
at that, or any other time, would accustom their hearts, at 
least, to so divine an exercise, they would find it always 
productive of the most comfortable effects. 

63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of 
them that keep thy precepts. 

As no sufferings should make us neglect our intercourse 
with God* so neither should they tempt us to forsake the 
communion of saints, or fellowship of them who " fear God, 
and work righteousness." These are knit together in love, 
as members of the same mystical body, insomuch that " if 
one member suffer, or be honoured, all the members should 
suffer, or be honoured with it;" these we should own at all 
times, in prosperity, and in adversity ; with these should our 
acquaintance and conversation be, for the mutual improve- 



DAY XXV. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



531 



merit and consolation of them and of ourselves. Of such 
was David a " companion," and such the Redeemer himself 
" is not ashamed to call brethren." — Heb. ii. 11. 

64. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy ; teach me 
thy statutes. 

Heaven and earth, and all that are therein, declare from 
day to day, the " mercy" of their Creator and Preserver, 
which is " over all his works." And his goodness, thus dis- 
played through the outward and visible world, forbids us to 
doubt of his loving-kindness towards those immortal spirits, 
which, in tenements of mortal clay, make, for a while, their 
abode here below; during which short period, they beseech 
him earnestly to grant them such a portion of that saving 
knowledge, which is his gift, as may secure to them, when 
they shall depart hence, a place in a happier country, and 
a more enduring city. "Teach me thy statutes! " 

TETH.— PART IX. 

65. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, accord- 
ing to thy word. 

As the sense of our wants should prepare the mind for 
prayer, so gratitude for blessings received should tune the 
heart to praise. In preferring our petitions, self-love may 
sometimes have a share ; but thankfulness is the offspring of 
an ingenuous spirit, and the love of God. Let a man care- 
fully recount the divine mercies shown to him from his birth, 
considering withal how unworthy he hath been of the least 
of those mercies, as also how far preferable his state is to 
that of many others; and he will find reason " in all things 
to give thanks," to acknowledge, with David, the goodness 
and truth of Jehovah, and to say, " Thou hast dealt well 
with thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word. 

66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge : for I have 
believed thy commandments. 

From thanksgiving the Psalmist returneth again to prayer, 
as, while we continue in this world, we must all do. The 
gift, for which he now prayeth, is that of " a good judgment 
with knowledge," as the former must enable us to make a 
proper use of the latter. The word DytD, which is here trans- 
lated "judgment," signifies bodily " taste," and that faculty 
in the mind which answers to it, the faculty of discerning, 
distinguishing, and judging rightly of things, moral and 

2 m 2 



532 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX". 



spiritual, as the palate doth of meats, their different flavours 
and qualities. Without this taste, or discretion, we mistake 
falsehood for truth in our studies, and wrong for right in our 
practice; superstition and enthusiam may pass with us for 
religion, or else licentiousness may intrude itself upon us 
under the name and notion of liberty : in a word, our learn- 
ing and knowledge prove useless, if not prejudicial to us. 
A sound mind, therefore, should, above all things, be desired 
of God in our prayers; and those prayers will be heard, 
when we can sincerely profess a readiness to be directed by 
God's laws, through faith in their author, his promises and 
threatenings ; on which ground David urged his request; 
" for I have believed thy commandment." 

67. Before I was afflicted, I went astray: but now have 
I kept thy word. 

We collect from this verse, that prosperity is too often the 
parent of sin; that adversity is, first, its punishment, then, 
its remedy ; and that every considerate man, who hath been 
afflicted, will thankfully acknowledge as much. " When 
afflictions fail to have their due effect, the case is desperate. 
They are the last remedy which indulgent Providence uses; 
and if they fail, we must languish and die in misery and 
contempt. Vain men ! How seldom do we know what to 
wish or to pray for ! When we pray against misfortunes, 
and when we fear them most, we want them most. The 
shortest and the best prayer which we can address to Him 
who knows our wants, and our ignorance in asking, is this 
— Thy will be done." — Lord Bolingbroke's Reflections on 
Exile, p. 276. 

68. Thou art good, and doest good : teach me thy statutes. 
In other words, as Bishop Patrick hath well connected 

and paraphrased it, "Thou art in thine own nature kind and 
good; and nothing else can proceed from thee, who de- 
signest our good, even when thou afflictest us; take what 
methods thou pleasest with me; only teach me effectually 
to do as thou wouldst have me." 

69. The proud have forged a lie against me : but / will 
keep thy precepts with my whole heart. 

Every disciple of Christ, who, like his Master, goeth con- 
trary to the ways of the world, and condemneth them, must 
expect to be, like that Master, slandered and calumniated by 
the world. To such slanders and calumnies, a good life is 



DAY XXV. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



533 



the best answer. When a friend once told Plato, what scan- 
dalous stories his enemies had propagated concerning him, 
— I will live so, replied that great philosopher, that nobody 
shall believe them. 

70. Their heart is as fat as grease; but / delight in 
thy law. 

The " fatness of the heart" implieth, in this place, two 
things in those of whom it is affirmed ; luxury, and its con- 
sequence ; insensibility to those spiritual and divine truths, 
which are not only the study, but the " delight" of tempe- 
rate and holy persons, who gladly fly from large companies, 
full tables, costly meats, and rich wines, to enjoy, in private, 
the more exalted pleasures of abstinence, meditation, and 
prayer. 

71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted: that I 
might learn thy statutes. 

God's statutes are best learned in the school of affliction, 
because by affliction the great impediments to our learning 
them are removed; pride is subdued, and concupiscence is 
extinguished. " He that hath suffered in the flesh," saith 
an apostle, ' ' hath ceased from sin," 1 Pet iv. 1. and in an 
immunity from sin consisteth one of the greatest felicities of 
heaven, which thus descends into the afflicted soul, so as to 
render even the state of sickness itself, in some sort, desir- 
able. Strange as this proposition may appear, the reader 
will find its truth demonstrated by the inimitable Bishop 
Jeremy Taylor, in that truly golden tract, " The Rule and 
Exercises of Holy Dying," chap. iii. sect. 6. on " The 
Advantages of Sickness." 

72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands 
of gold and silver. - 

Affliction taketh from us the inclination to offend, and it 
give th us, in return, a knowledge of that law which " is 
better," and which, when we are thoroughly acquainted 
with it, we shall esteem to be better, " than thousands of 
gold and silver;" better in its nature, for it is from heaven, 
they are from the earth; better in its use, for it bringeth 
salvation to our souls, whereas they can only procure suste- 
nance for the body; better in point of duration, for the 
benefits of one are certain and eternal, the advantages of the 
others temporal and uncertain. Blessed are they who seek 
in the scriptures the true riches; who traffic for the spiritual 



534 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXIX. 



gains of celestial wisdom; for surely "the merchandise of 
it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain 
thereof than fine gold." — Prov. iii. 14. 

TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 
JOD.— PART X. 

73. Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me: give me 
understanding, that I may learn thy commandments. 

The formation of man was the last and noblest work of 
God, and it is a standing miracle of divine wisdom and 
power. The consideration, that God made us, is here urged 
as an argument why he should not forsake and reject us, 
since every artist hath a value for his own work, propor- 
tioned to its excellence. It is, at the same time, an acknow- 
ledgment of the service we owe him, founded on the relation 
which a creature beareth to his Creator. And the petition 
implieth in it a confession of our present inability to know 
his will without his revelation, and to do it without his grace. 

74. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me: 
because I have hoped in thy reward. 

They who " fear God" are naturally " glad when they 
see" and converse with one like themselves; but more espe- 
cially so, when it is one whose faith and patience have car- 
ried him through troubles, and rendered him victorious over 
temptations; one who hath "hoped in God's word," and 
hath not been disappointed. Every such instance affordeth 
fresh encouragement to all those, who, in the course of their 
warfare, are to undergo like troubles, and to encounter like 
temptations. In all our trials let us, therefore, remember, 
that our brethren, as well as ourselves, are deeply interested 
in the event, which may either strengthen or weaken the 
hands of the multitudes. 

75. / know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and 
that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. 

This humble, pious, and dutiful confession will be made 
by every true child of God, when under the correction of his 
heavenly Father. From whatever quarter afflictions come 
upon us, they are "the judgments of God," without whose 
providence nothing befalleth us. His judgments are always 
"right or just, "duly proportioned to the disease and strength 
of the patient; in sending them, God is " faithful" and true 



DAY XXV. £. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



535 



to his word, wherein he hath never promised the crown 
without the cross, but hath, on the contrary, assured us, that 
one will be necessary, in order to our obtaining the other; 
and that they who are beloved by him shall not sin with 
impunity, nor go astray without a call to return. All this 
we ought to "know," or to be assured of beyond doubt, as 
we may be, from the many declarations in scripture, from 
our own experience, and from that of others. 

76. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness he for my 
comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. 

In the former verse, the criminal, finding that the hand of 
God was upon him, had owned the justice and the faithful- 
ness of his Judge in the punishment inflicted. Judgment 
having thus had her perfect work, the offender, now humbled 
and penitent, maketh application to the throne of grace, and 
sueth for that mercy, which God, by his " word," hath pro- 
mised to his " servants," who are chastened, not for their 
destruction, but for their salvation. When God's "judgments" 
have brought us to an acknowledgment of our sins, his 
"merciful kindness" will speedily be our " comfort." 

77. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that L may live: 
for thy law is my delight. 

The mercies of God are " tender mercies," they are the 
mercies of a father to his children, nay, tender as the com- 
passion of a mother over the son of her womb. They "come 
unto" us, when we are not able to go to them. By them 
alone we " live" the life of faith, of love, of joy and gladness. 
And to such as " delight" in his law, God will grant these 
mercies, and this life; he will give them pardon, and, by so 
doing, he will give them life from the dead. 

78. Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely 
with me without a cause; but / will meditate in thy precepts. 

This complaint of the Psalmist hath been made by the 
faithful in all ages, that the men of the world " dealt per- 
versely with them without a cause," or oppressed them falsely, 
first spreading slanders and calumnies concerning them, and 
then persecuting them for those supposed crimes. Such 
usage should have no other effect upon us than it had upon 
David. He prayed, that "shame" and disappointment might 
teach humility to the " proud," and applied himself still 
more and more to meditate in the " precepts" of his God, 



536 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CX1X. 



79. Ltt those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that 
have known thy testimonies. 

David beseecheth God, if any good men had been alienated 
from him, either through fear, prejudice, or offence, that they 
might return to him, join, and acknowledge him. To thee, 
O thou Son of David, and King of the Spiritual Israel, let 
those among thy people, who, through any temptation, have 
fallen from their allegiance, return and be subject. 

80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not 
ashamed. 

This is a prayer necessary for all men to use at all times, 
but more particularly in seasons of persecution and tempta- 
tion. By " soundness of heart" is meant solidity and sted- 
fastness in grace and virtue, as opposed to the mere form of 
godliness, or fair show of the hypocrite, which conceal the 
rottenness and corruption lurking within; and also to the 
sudden and vanishing goodness of the temporary convert, 
which quickly disappears like the morning dew, and withers 
like the seed sown on a rock. When internal holiness ac- 
companies and actuates that which is external, when the 
word is thoroughly rooted, and faith hath acquired the 
sovereignty over our desires, then our " hearts" are " sound 
in God's statutes," and there is hope that, in the day of 
trial, we shall not give our brethren cause to be ashamed 
of us, nor be ourselves " ashamed" before God. 

CAPH.— PART XI. 

81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in 
thy word, or, I have expected thy word. 

Thus have the true servants of God, in every age, expressed 
their ardent desire of his salvation. Thus did the patriarchs, 
the prophets, the kings, and the faithful people formerly wish 
to behold the advent of their Saviour in the flesh; until 
Simeon, taking him in his arms, spoke what they would all 
have spoken had they been present, " Lord, now lettest thou 
thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word ; for mine 
eyes have seen thy salvation." But the bridegroom was soon 
taken away, and the heavens have received him, until the 
restitution of all things ; for which the church upon earth at 
this day waiteth and prayeth; that she may be delivered 



DAY XXV. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



537 



from all her troubles, and inseparably united to him in whom 
she delighteth. Every individual, when oppressed by sin 
and sorrow, may make his supplication in the same words, 
for that salvation, which is by grace, through faith. 

82. Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou 
comfort me? 

While the promised salvation is delayed, the afflicted soul 
thinketh every day a year, and iooketh toward heaven for 
the accomplishment of God's word, saying to •" her Friend 
and her Beloved, When wilt thou comfort me ? Come, Lord 
Jesu, come quickly!"* 

83. For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I 
not forget thy statutes, 

" Bottles," among the Jews, were made of skins. One 
of these, if exposed to heat and "smoke," would become 
shrivelled and useless. Such a change will labour and sorrow 
cause in the human frame ; and the Psalmist here complain- 
eth, that his beauty and his strength were gone ; the natural 
moisture was dried up; in consequence of which, the skin 
shrivelled, and both colour and vigour departed from him. 
Disease and old age will produce the same sad effects in us 
all; but the body's weakness is the soul's strength; as the 
outward man decayeth, the inward man is renewed; " I do 
not forget thy statutes." 

84. How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt 
thou execute judgment on them that persecute me? 

The well-beloved John heard a question, of the same im- 
port with this, asked by the spirits of the martyrs, that had 
left their bodies, and were waiting, in the separate state, for 
the day of retribution. The answer which was made to them, 
may likewise satisfy our impatience, when suffering affliction 
and persecution. — " I saw under the altar the souls of them 
that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony 

* " Defecerunt oculi mei : " Ambrosius : " Nonne quando aliquem 
desideramus et speramus adfore, eo dirigimus oculos unde speramus esse 
venturum ? Sic tenerse uxor setatis, de specula litorali, indefessa. expecta- 
tione conjugis praestolatur adventum; ut quamcunque navim viderit, illic 
putat conjugem navigare, metuatque ne videndi gratia dilecti, alius ante- 
vertat, nec ipsa possit prima dicere, video te, mi marite." Vide reliqua 
apud Ambrosium, ejusdem plane spiritus, nec tamen potui temperare, quin 
hsec exscriberem. Sic affectus est quisquis cum Paulo dissolvi cupit, et 
esse cum Christo. Sic denique qui semel gustato bono Dei verbo, ut idem 
Paulus ait, sibi postea relictus, deficit ttedio sui, ac reddi sibi postulat 
prsegustatam suavissimi amoris dulcedinem. — Bossuet. 



538 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, say- 
ing, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge 
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And 
white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was 
said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, 
until their fellow servants also, and their brethren, that 
should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." — Rev. 
vi. 9, &c. 

85. The proud have digged pits for me, which are not 
after thy law. 

The manner of taking wild beasts was by " digging pits," 
and covering them over with turf, upon which when the 
beast trod, he fell into the pit, and was there confined and 
taken. But there was a " law," that if a pit were left open, 
and a tame beast, an ox, or an ass, fell into it, the owners of 
the pit should make good the damage. — Exod. xxi. 31. 
Much more shall men be called to a severe account, who 
purposely lay snares and stumbling-blocks before the feet of 
their innocent brethren, to cause them to fall and perish. 

86. All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute 
me wrongfully, help thou me. 

Man is perfidious and deceitful, God is, " faithful" and 
true; he hath promised to " help" those who suffer "wrong- 
fully," and he will, in the end, show himself to be the 
avenger of all such. Let them wait with patience, since the 
King of Righteousness himself suffered as a malefactor, 
before he entered into his glory. 

87. They had almost consumed me upon earth : but I 
forsook not thv precepts. 

However low the church, or any member thereof, may, 
by persecution and tribulation, be brought upon earth, yet 
nothing can separate them from the love of God, while they 
" forsake not his precepts," nor disbelieve his promises. 
The soul, we know, must forsake the body: but God will 
forsake neither. 

88. Quicken me after thy loving-kindness, so shall I keep 
the testimonies of thy mouth. 

Through the " loving-kindness" of God our Saviour, the 
Spirit of life is given unto us, by whose " quickening" in- 
fluences we are revived, when sunk in sins or in sorrows, 
and are enabled, with joy and gladness, to persevere in 
" keeping the testimony of his mouth." 



DA Y XXV. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



539 



LAMED.— PART XII. 

89. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven : or, 
Thou art for ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven : 
90. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations : thou hast esta- 
blished the earth, and it abideth. 91. They continue this day 
according to thine ordinances : for all are thy servants. 

The eternity of Jehovah, and the immutability of his 
counsels, are considerations which afford comfort and en- 
couragement to his people, when their enemies are in arms 
against them. Even in this world the unwearied "heavens" 
continue to perform invariably their operations upon them- 
selves and the bodies placed in them ; while the globe of the 
" earth," retaining its original form and coherence of parts, 
still, as at the beginning, supports and maintains the suc- 
cessive " generations" of men, which live and move upon 
it, to whom the faithful promises of God are fulfilled, from 
age to age. Thus doth the unchangeable order of nature 
itself point out to us the truth of her great Author, and at 
the same time reprove the eccentric motions of rebellious 
man. The heavens and the earth " continue this day ac- 
cording to thine ordinance," O Lord, " for all things are 
thy servants;" all invariably serve thee, except man, who 
alone was endowed with reason, that he might obey and 
glorify thee, in this life, and that which is to come ! 

92. Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then 
have perished in mine affliction. 

The Psalmist assureth us, from his own experience, how 
pleasant and how profitable, in time of trouble, is the medi- 
tation on the fidelity of God, as displayed in the stability of 
his works. The " delights," by this afforded, sustained his 
soul in " afflictions," which must otherwise have brought 
him to an end. And the same everlasting Word shall be 
the believer's support and consolation, even when the heavens 
shall melt around him with fervent heat, and the earth, and 
all that is therein, shall be burnt up. " Heaven and earth 
shall pass away," saith He who made them, " but my word 
shall not pass away." 

93. / will never forget thy precepts : for with them thou 
hast quickened me. 

Great are the necessities, and many the disorders of the 



540 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



soul; but in the scripture there is provision and medicine 
for them all ; and according to our various wants and mala- 
dies, God relieveth and " quickeneth" us, sometimes with 
one part of his word, sometimes with another. Now, when 
we have found ourselves thus benefited, at any time, by a 
particular passage of holy writ, we should " never forget," 
but remember and treasure it up in our minds, against a 
like occasion, when the same affliction or temptation may 
again befal us. 

94. I am thine: save me, for I have sought thy precepts. 
The double relation which we have the honour to bear to 

God by creation, and by redemption, as the work of his 
hands, and the purchase of his blood, is a most endearing 
and prevailing argument with him, to " save" us from our 
enemies. But then let it be remembered, that no man can 
say to God with a good conscience, "I am thine," unless he 
can also go on, and say, " I have sought thy precepts," I 
desire to serve and obey thee alone; since, after all, " his 
servants we are to whom we obey;" and if sin be our 
master, how can we say to a Master, whose interest is 
directly opposite, "I am thine?" 

95. The wicked have waited for me to destroy me : but I 
will consider thy testimonies. 

In the preceding verse, David besought God to " save" 
him. The reason of that prayer is here assigned, namely, 
because " the wicked lay in wait for him to destroy him," as 
they afterward did to destroy one, whom the afflicted and 
persecuted Psalmist represented. Spiritual enemies are 
continually upon the watch to destroy us all; and we can 
no way escape their wiles, but by " considering," so as to 
understand and observe God's " testimonies." 

96. / have seen an end of all perfection : but thy com- 
mandment is exceeding broad. 

Of " all perfection" in this world, whether of beauty, wit, 
learning, pleasure, honour, or riches, experience will soon 
show us the " end." But where is the end or boundary of 
the word of God? Who can ascend to the height of its ex- 
cellency; who can fathom the depth of its mysteries; who 
can find out the comprehension of its precepts, or conceive 
the extent of its promises ; who can take the dimensions of 
that love of God to man which it describeth, or that love of 
man to God which it teacheth ! The knowledge of one thing 



DA Y XXV. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



541 



leadeth us forward to that of another, and still, as we travel 
on, the prospect opens before us into eternity, like the plea- 
sant and fruitful mountains of Canaan, rising on the other 
side of Jordan, when viewed by Moses from the top of 
Pisgah. O happy region of celestial wisdom, permanent 
felicity, true riches, and unfading glory ; while we contem- 
plate thee, how doth the world lessen, and shrink to nothing 
in our eyes! Thy blessings faith now beholdeth, but it is 
charity which shall hereafter possess and enjoy them ! 

MEM. — PART XIII. 

97. O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. 
Words cannot express the love which a pious mind enter- 

taineth for the scriptures. They are the epistle of God to 
mankind, offering reconciliation, peace, and union with 
himself in glory; containing reasons why we should love 
him and each other, with directions how to show forth that 
love, which, as the apostle saith, is " the fulfilling of the 
law." — Rom. xiii. 10. On some portions of these scriptures 
should our " meditation" be continually, and " each day" 
should add something to our knowledge, to our faith, to 
our virtue. 

98. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser 
than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. 99. I have 
more understanding than all my teachers : for thy testimo- 
nies are my meditation. 100. / understood more than the 
ancients : because I keep thy precepts. 

The " commandments" of God were " ever with" David; 
the " testimonies" of God were his " meditation;" and the 
" precepts" of God it was his care to " observe;" therefore 
his wisdom exceeded the policy of his " enemies," the 
learning of his " teachers," and the experience of the 
" ancients." Thus, by the wisdom of the scriptures, did the 
holy Jesus, in the days of his flesh, confound his adversaries, 
astonish the teachers of the law, and instruct the aged. And 
it is the high prerogative of the scriptures, at all times, to 
render youth and simplicity superior to the inveterate malice 
and subtilty of the grand Deceiver, and his associates. 

101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that 
I might keep thy word. 

The foundation of all religion must be laid in mortifica- 



542 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXIX. 



tion and self-denial ; for since the will of fallen men is con- 
trary to the will of God, we must abstain from doing the 
one, in order to do the other. The affections may be styled 
the " feet" of the soul, and unless these be " refrained from 
evil ways," no progress can be made in that way which 
alone is good and right; we cannot "keep God's word." 

102. I have not departed from thy judgments : for thou 
hast taught me. 

Perseverance is the effect of instruction from above, by 
the Spirit, through the Word : and our heavenly Teacher 
differeth from all others, in this, that, with the lesson, he 
bestoweth on the scholar both a disposition to learn and an 
ability to perform. 

103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste ! yea, sweeter 
than honey to my mouth. 

The soul hath its " taste," as well as the body; and that 
taste is then in right order, when the " words" of scripture 
are " sweet" to the soul, as " honey" is to the mouth. If 
they are not always so, it is because our taste is vitiated by 
the world and the flesh; and we shall ever find our relish 
for the word of God to be greatest, when that for the world 
and the flesh is least, in time of affliction, sickness, and 
death ; for these are contrary one to the other. In heaven, 
the latter will be no more, and therefore the former will be 
all in all. 

104. Through thy precepts I get understand'uig : therefore 
I hate every false way. 

He who delighteth to study the scriptures, will " under- 
stand" from them, the true nature of righteousness and of 
sin; he who doth understand the nature of each, will love 
the former, and, in proportion, " hate" the latter; and with 
that which we thoroughly hate, we will not bear to have any 
connexion; with suspicion and jealousy we shall eye it 
approaching; with courage and constancy we shall arm 
and fight against it ; we shall make no peace, nor so much 
as a truce with it; but, as faithful soldiers and servants of 
Jesus Christ, we shall aim at that utter extermination of it 
which we have vowed, and which, through the Spirit of 
grace and power, will be accomplished, but not, perhaps, 
totally, till our life and warfare shall end together. 



DAY XXVI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



543 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 
NUN.— PART XIV. 

105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto 
my paths. 

Man is a traveller, his life is a journey, heaven is his end, 
his road lies through a wilderness, and he is in the dark. 
Thus circumstanced, how earnestly and devoutly ought he 
to pray — "O send out thy light and thy truth; let them 
lead me, let them bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy 
tabernacles ! " — Ps. xliii. 3. For surely " the commandment 
is a lamp, and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction 
are the way of life." — Prov. vi. 23. The word of God dis- 
covered to us our errors; it showeth us where we lost our 
way, and how we may recover it again. If we take this 
" lamp" in our hand, it will not only point out our course 
in general, but also direct us in every step, and guide our 
" feet" aright in the " path" of holiness and peace. Thus, 
through the devious and lonely wilds of Arabia, was Israel 
once conducted to the land of promise, by the illuminating 
pillar, or rather by Him, whose presence dwelt in the 
midst of it. 

106. / have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will 
keep thy righteous judgments. 

Such being the direction afforded by the Word of God to 
a benighted pilgrim, David had obliged himself, in the most 
solemn manner, to follow that direction. Every Christian 
doth, at his baptism, in like manner, " promise and vow to 
keep God's commandments, and to walk in the same all the 
days of his life." The nature and extent of those engage- 
ments must be interpreted according to the covenant of 
grace, under which they are made. The command to us 
sinners is, that we should repent, and believe in him, who 
will pardon our failings, and strengthen our infirmities, that 
we may walk as becometh his disciples, who, though they 
ought not to commit sin, may yet, by divine grace, be re- 
stored and saved from it. — " These things write I unto you, 
that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate 
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the 
propitiation for our sins." — 1 John ii. 1. 



544 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



107. I am afflicted very much : quicken me, O Lord, ac- 
cording to thy word. 

The faithful servants of God may be " afflicted;" they 
may be " very much" and grievously afflicted : but let them 
consider, that, by afflictions, their corruptions are purged 
away, their faith is tried, their patience perfected, their 
brethren are edified, and their Master is glorified. Let 
them still firmly rely on the divine promise of grace and sal- 
vation; still humbly pray for its accomplishment in them- 
selves; "quicken me, O Lord, according to thy word." 

108. Accept , / beseech thee, the free-will offerings of my 
mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments. 

The " offerings" of the believer are prayer, praise, and 
holy resolutions, and vows like that of the Psalmist above, 
" to keep God's righteous judgments," in which he therefore 
petitioneth to be every day more and more " taught" and 
instructed by the Spirit of truth. Christians are called, by 
St. Peter, " a royal and holy priesthood, appointed to offer 
up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ." 
—1 Pet. ii. 5, 9. 

109. My soul is continually in my hand : yet do L not 
forget thy law. 

To have one's " soul," or life, "in one's hand," is a 
phrase often used in scripture, and implieth going in con- 
tinual danger of one's life. — See Judges xii. 3. 1 Sam. 
xix. 5. xxviii. 21. Job xiii. 14. Great and incessant as 
David's perils were, he did not " forget" God's promises 
nor his precepts, but trusted in the former, and performed 
the latter. St. Paul knew, that " in every city bonds and 
afflictions waited for him; but none of these things," saith 
he, " move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so 
that I might finish my course with joy." — Acts xx. 23. 

110. The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet L erred 
not from thy precepts. 

When open violence fails to move a man from his sted- 
fastness, " the wicked will lay snares" for him, to entice 
him into sin by the baits of honour, pleasure, or profit ; by 
exposing him to unavoidable temptations, as when David 
was driven out of his own land, to live amongst idolaters, 
of which usage he complaineth; 1 Sam. xxvi. 19. or else by 
making laws which an honest man cannot obey without sin, 
or refuse to obey without danger. Numberless are the 



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545 



traps, of one kind or other, which human wit, and diabolical 
malice in conj unction, have set for the consciences of those 
who profess themselves to be the servants of God ; and 
happy is that servant, whom they have not caused to " err 
from the precepts" of his Master. 

111. Thy testimonies have I taken as mine heritage for 
ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. 

The " testimonies" of God's will, his word, and his sacra- 
ments, are the bonds and the deeds, by which we hold our 
heavenly "inheritance, as heirs of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ." Of these deeds, and this inheritance, no power 
can deprive us ; and when " they are the rejoicing of our 
hearts," we shall not, by preferring an earthly inheritance, 
deprive ourselves of them. 

112. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes 
always, even unto the end. 

The " inclination of the heart" to good, is the work of 
God; but man is, nevertheless, in this, as in other instances, 
said to perform it, when he listens to the call, and obeys the 
motions, of his grace. We are not to judge of ourselves by 
what we sometimes say and do, but by the general disposi- 
tion and tendency of the heart and its affections. When, 
after repeated trials, we find that the love of God casts the 
scale against the love of the world ; when it is our glory, 
our delight, our treasure, our meat and drink, to do his will, 
and, against all opposition, to persevere in doing it, " even 
unto the end;" then are we the true disciples of that Master, 
whose heart was evermore inclined to good ; who alone per- 
formed a perfect and spotless obedience, and persisted in 
working the work of him that sent him, until, with his last 
breath, he declared, upon the cross, It is finished. 

SAMECH.— PART XV. 

113. I hate vain thoughts : but thy law do I love. 
"Love and hatred" are the two great and influencing 

affections of the human mind. Since the fall, they have 
been misplaced. By nature we " love vain thoughts," and 
" hate the law of God. The carnal mind is enmity against 
God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed 
can be." — Rom. viii. 7. But in a renewed mind the case is 
altered ; its delight is in the law of God, and therefore it 
cannot bear "vain thoughts," which are contrary to that 

2 N 



546 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXIX. 



law, and exalt themselves against it. Thoughts are often 
said to be free ; from human censure they are, but not from 
the cognizance and judgment of the Omniscient. The mind 
should be well furnished with proper materials, on which to 
employ itself. We shall then be secured against the incur- 
sions of rambling, conceited, worldly, impure, and revengeful 
thoughts, which otherwise will devour half our time, and 
appear against us, to our unspeakable amazement, in that 
day, when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed. 

114. Thou art my hiding-place, and my shield : I hope 
in thy word. 

From vain thoughts, and vain persons, the Psalmist 
teacheth us to fly, by prayer, to God, as our Refuge and 
Protector. This course a believer will as naturally take, 
in the hour of temptation and danger, as the offspring of 
the hen, on perceiving a bird of prey hovering over their 
heads, retire to their "hiding-place," under the wings of 
their dam ; or as the warrior opposeth his " shield" to the 
darts which are aimed at him. 

115. Depart from me, ye evil doers : for I will keep the 
commandments of my God. 

Safe under the protection of the Almighty, David bids the 
wicked " depart from him ; " he neither fears their malice, 
nor will follow their counsels, being resolutely determined 
to adhere to his duty, and to " keep the commandments of 
his God." He who hath formed David's resolutions, must, 
like him, disclaim and renounce the society of " evil doers;" 
for every man will insensibly contract the good or bad 
qualities of the company which he keeps ; and should, 
therefore, be careful to keep such as will make him wiser 
and better, and fit him for the goodly fellowship of saints 
and angels. 

116. Uphold me according to thy word, that I may live ; 
and let me not be ashamed of my hope. 117. Hold thou me 
up, and I shall be safe ; and I will have respect unto thy 
statutes continually. 

A resolution to fly from evil, and to do good, is properly 
followed by an earnest and repeated prayer, to be "upheld" 
in the performance of it, by divine grace, "according to 
God's word" and promise; that so our "hope " in that word 
may not fail, and put us to "shame" before our enemies; 
that we may be "saved" from falling, and enabled, in our 



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547 



walking, to have " respect unto the divine statutes con- 
tinually." How necessary is this prayer to be made by 
creatures, whose tempers and dispositions are ever vary- 
ing ; who have so many and so formidable adversaries to 
contend with ; and on whom their temporal condition hath 
so much influence ! 

118. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy 
statutes : for their deceit is falsehood. 

The dreadful judgments which God, from time to time, 
in all ages of the world, hath executed, and which he still 
can, and will execute, upon impenitent sinners, afford a kind 
of admonition, and a powerful motive to obedience. As no 
force can counteract the power of God, so no "cunning" can 
deceive his wisdom, but will always, in the end, miserably 
" deceive" those who trust in it, and employ it against the 
counsels of heaven; "their deceit, or subtilty, is falsehood," 
Ipttt, it will fail and ruin its owners. Of this, history fur- 
nisheth instances in abundance. And it will be evident to 
all the world, when simplicity and innocence shall reign 
triumphant, with the Lamb, on Mount Sion ; and deceit 
and guile shall have their portion with the serpent, in the 
lake of fire. 

119. Thou puttest away all the ungodly of the earth like 
dross : therefore I love thy testimonies. 

" Ungodly" men and hypocrites are mingled among the 
sons and servants of God, as "dross" is blended with the 
pure metal, and appeareth to be part of it. But the fiery 
trial of divine judgment soon disco vereth the difference. 
The false pretences of the hypocrite are detected, and the 
glory of the wicked vanisheth away. These dispensations of 
God's providence increase our "love" of his "word" because 
they give us sensible experience of its truth, they shew us 
the justice of God in punishing others, together with his 
mercy in sparing us, and removing those who might have 
corrupted us, and turned the silver itself into dross. In times 
of visitation, Christ sitteth among his people "as a refiner 
and purifier of silver," purging away all dross, that out of 
what remains may be made "vessels of honour, meet for the 
Master's use," to serve and to adorn the sanctuary. — See 
Mai. iii. 3. Isa. i. 25. 2 Tim. ii. 21. 

120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid 
of thy judgments. 

2x2 



548 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXIX. 



At the presence of Jehovah, when he appeareth in judg- 
ment, the earth trembleth and is still. His best servants are 
not exempted from an awful dread, upon such occasions ; 
scenes of this kind, shown in vision to the prophets, cause 
their flesh to quiver, and all their bones to shake. Encom- 
passed with a frail body, and a sinful world, we stand in 
need of every possible tie ; and the affections both of fear 
and love must be employed, to restrain us from transgres- 
sion; we must, at the same time, "love God's testimonies, 
and fear his judgments." 

ATN.— PART XVI. 

121. I have done j udgment and justice : leave me not to 
wine oppressors. 

He who is engaged in a righteous cause, and hath acted 
uprightly in the support of it, may, so far, without incurring 
the censure of boasting, or trusting to his own righteousness, 
make David's plea, " 1 have done judgment and justice ; " as 
if he had said, — Thou, O my God, knowest that I am inno- 
cent of the crimes whereof my implacable enemies accuse 
me, and that I have done no wrong to those who seek to 
take away my life ; deliver not thine injured servant, there- 
fore, into their hands; " leave me not to mine oppressors." 
The Son of David might use the words in their full and ab- 
solute sense, and plead for a glorious resurrection, on the 
foot of his having performed a perfect obedience to the law. 

122. Be surety to thy servant for good : let not the proud 
oppress me. 

The Psalmist, finding himself ready to be seized by his 
insolent adversaries, like a helpless and insolvent debtor, en- 
treateth the Almighty to appear in his defence, to take the 
matter into his own hands, to interpose and plead his cause, 
as his surety and advocate, in the day of trouble. Good 
Hezekiah uses the same word in the same sense, speaking of 
the time when death was about to make his claim upon the 
mortal part of him ; "O Lord, I am oppressed, ^Tty' under- 
take, be surety for me." — Isa. xxxviii. 14. Happy the crea- 
tures, whose Creator is their surety, and hath interposed to 
rescue them from those great oppressors, sin, death, and Satan ! 

] 23. Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word 
of thy righteousness. 

Salvation, whether temporal, or spiritual, may be delayed ; 



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549 



the "eyes" of the sufferer may "fail" with looking upward, 
and his earnest expectation may be ready to break forth, in 
the words of Sisera's mother, "Why is his chariot so long 
in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariot?" But 
what saith God, by his prophets and apostles ? "Though it 
tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come." — Hab. ii. 3. 
" Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come." — 
Heb. x. 37. The " Word " which hath promised it, is the 
word of truth, faithfulness, and "righteousness;" the attri- 
butes of God are engaged for its accomplishment, and he 
cannot deny himself. 

124. Deal with thy serva?it according unto thy mercy, 
and teach me thy statutes. 125. I am thy servant, give me 
understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. 

The consideration, that we are the " servants" of God, if 
indeed we are so, will always be successfully urged to the 
best of Masters, as an argument why he should " deal with 
us according to his mercy," in the pardoning of our offences; 
" teach us his statutes," that we may know and do his 
will; and instruct us in his "testimonies," that we may 
believe aright concerning him. 

126. It is time for thee, Lord to work: for they have 
made void thy law. 

The " law" of God is " made void" by those who deny its 
authority, or its obligation ; by those who render it of none 
effect through their traditions, or their lives. When a deluge 
of wickedness and impiety, entering at these gates, hath 
overwhelmed a land, " it is time for the Lord to work;" the 
great Lawgiver will then exert his power, and vindicate his 
authority speedily. There is a certain measure of iniquity, 
which, when communities, or individuals, respectively, have 
filled up, the destroying angel comes forth, and executes his 
commission. How ought a man to fear, lest the next sin he 
commits should fill up his measure, and seal his eternal doom ! 

127. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold, yea, 
above fine gold. 

As the wickedness of those increaseth, who "make void 
the divine law," the zeal and "love" of believers should in- 
crease in proportion, to stem the torrent ; and this may be 
done, to a surprising degree, by a few persons, who, after the 
example of the first Christians, can forsake all, to follow their 
Master; who have the sense and the courage to prefer truth, 



550 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



wisdom, holiness, and heaven, to falsehood, folly, sin, and 
the world ; who can resolutely reject the glittering tempta- 
tion, and say, without hypocrisy, to their God, "I love thy 
commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold." 

128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts, concerning all 
things, to be right; or, Therefore all thy precepts, even all 
have I approved ; and I hate every false way. 

For the same reason that the children of God, in the worst 
of times, "love his commandments," they love them "all," 
not observing such only as they can observe without giving 
offence, but regardless of the censures of the world, doing 
their duty in every particular ; not "hating" some "evil 
ways," and at the same time walking in others, but extend- 
ing and manifesting their aversion to all alike. Of such 
persons it is evident, that they make a conscience of their 
doings, and their conduct appears to be uniform ; the adver 
sary will have no evil thing to say of them; they will do 
real service to the cause which they maintain; and, after 
having honoured their Master before men, they will by him 
be honoured before men and angels. 

PR— PART XVII. 

129. Thy testimo?iies are wonderful: therefore doth my 
soul keep, or, observe them. 

The scriptures are "wonderful," with respect to the 
matter which they contain, the manner in which they are 
written, and the effects which they produce. They contain 
the sublimest spiritual truths, veiled under external ceremo- 
nies and sacraments, figurative descriptions, typical histo- 
ries, parables, similitudes, &c. When properly opened and 
enforced, they terrify and humble, they convert and trans- 
form, they console and strengthen. Who but must delight 
to study and to "observe" these "testimonies" of the will 
and the wisdom, the love and the power of God Most High ! 
While we have these holy writings, let us not waste our 
time, misemploy our thoughts, and prostitute our admira- 
tion, by doating on human follies, and wondering at human 
trifles. 

130. The entrance of thy words giveth light: it giveth 
understanding to the simple. 

The scriptures are the appointed means of " enlightening " 



DAY XXVI. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



551 



the mind with true and saving knowledge. They show us 
what we were, what we are, and what we shall be ; they 
show us what God hath done for us, and what he expecteth 
us to do for him ; they show us the adversaries we have to 
encounter, and how to encounter them with success ; they 
show us the mercy and the justice of the Lord, the joys of 
heaven, and the pains of hell. Thus will they " give to the 
simple," in a few days, " an understanding" of those mat- 
ters, which philosophy, for whole centuries, sought in vain. 

131. / opened my mouth and panted : for I longed for 
thy commandments. 

An eastern traveller, fatigued through toil, and parched 
by heat, doth not, with more vehement desire, gasp for the 
cooling breeze, than the servant of God, in time of tempta- 
tion and trouble, " panteth" after that Spirit of refreshment 
and consolation, which breathes in the scriptures of truth. 
The affections are the springs of human actions ; no argu- 
ments are needful to impel, and no difficulties are sufficient 
to retard the man, who is in pursuit of an object, which, 
with all his heart, he loves and " longs for." How happy 
is it, when heaven, instead of earth, is that object \ 

132. Look thou upon me, and be mercif ul unto me, as thou 
usest to do unto those that love thy name. 

A child of God is never so much afflicted, as when his 
heavenly Father seemeth, for a time, to have turned away 
his face from him. All lesser troubles vanish, when God 
doth but vouchsafe a " look" of paternal compassion. And 
since the love of Jehovah to his people is unchangeable as 
his nature, mercies formerly shown to others are most 
forcibly urged by the Psalmist, in his petition for the like ; 
" Be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that 
love thy name." 

133. Order my steps in thy word : and let not a?iy iniquity 
have dominion over me. 

By the instruction of his "word," God bringeth us into 
the way of life; by the aids of his grace, he "directeth" 
and " supporteth" our " steps" in that way, enabling us, 
as we proceed, to overcome the sins which do beset us, so 
that they prevail not to turn us back, or to make us desist 
from travelling toward the city of our eternal habitation. 

134. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I 
keep thy precepts. 



552 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXTX. 



He truly loveth God, who requesteth "deliverance " from 
"oppression" and persecution, that he may again enjoy the 
opportunities of "keeping his precepts," and of serving him 
without distraction. And gratitude for his deliverance will 
be, with such an one, an additional reason for using those 
opportunities, when they are restored, to the best advantage. 

135. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant : and teach 
me thy statutes. 

The same sentiment is again expressed in different lan- 
guage. The Psalmist prayeth for a return of the divine 
favour, and for better days, that in peace and tranquillity he 
may learn and do the will of God. Tribulation is a dark and 
tempestuous night; but Jehovah causeth "his face to shine" 
upon his people, and the effects are like those produced by 
the sun at his rising, when universal nature revives and re- 
joices, and clouds and darkness fly away. 

136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they 
keep not thy law. 

David, who, through this whole Psalm, so often and so 
ardently beseecheth God to "teach him his statutes," de- 
clareth, in this verse, his continual grief of heart, occasioned 
by seeing others break those statutes. Thus Lot, among the 
Sodomites, was "vexed from day to day," not so much at 
their usage of himself, as at "seeing and hearing their un- 
lawful deeds." — 2 Pet. ii. 8. Thus Jeremiah telleth the un- 
godly of his time, "If ye will not hear, my soul shall weep 
in secret places for your pride ; and mine eyes shall weep 
sore, and run down with tears." — Jer. xiii. 17. Thus the 
holy Jesus " looked round about on the Pharisees, being 
grieved for the hardness of their hearts," Mark iii. 5. and 
"wept over" a city which had always persecuted, and was 
then about to crucify him, because it "knew not the things 
which belonged to its peace." — Luke xix. 41. Accept, O 
Lord, the tears which our blessed Redeemer shed, in the 
days of his flesh, for us, who should, but alas, too often 
cannot, weep for our brethren, or for ourselves ; and give us, 
at least, the grace of holy mourning, which in thy sight is 
of great price. 

TZADDI. — PART XVIII. 

137. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy 
judgments. 



DAY XXVI. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



553 



This portion of our Psalm is employed in celebrating the 
righteousness of God, manifested to us by his word, and by 
his dispensations, which that word both recordeth and ex- 
plaineth. It is said of the Emperor Mauritius, that upon 
seeing all his children slain before his face, at the command 
of that bloody tyrant and usurper, Phocas ; himself expect- 
ing the next stroke, with a philosophy truly divine, he 
exclaimed aloud, in these words of David, " Righteous art 
thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments."* By faith 
he was assured of this great truth, and nobly confessed it, 
notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. The last 
day will demonstrate the same thing to the whole world, 
and open the mouths of men and angels to declare, concern- 
ing all the divine proceedings, what the good Mauritius 
acknowledged, at the time, with regard to the murder of 
his children. 

138. Thy testimonies ; that thou hast commanded, are 
righteous and very faithful. 

The revelations of God's will are "righteousness" and 
"truth;" his commands are just, and ought to be obeyed ; 
his promises and his threatenings will infallibly come to pass, 
and deserve above all things to be regarded. 

139. My zeal hath consumed me; because mine enemies 
have forgotten thy words. 

"Zeal" is a high degree of love; and when the object 
of that love is ill treated, it venteth itself in a mixture of 
grief and indignation, which are sufficient to wear and 
"consume" the heart. This will be the case, where men 
rightly conceive of that dishonour, which is continually done 
to God, by creatures whom he hath made and redeemed. 
But never could the verse be uttered, with such fulness of 
truth and propriety, by any one, as by the Son of God, who 
had such a sense of his Father's glory, and of man's sin, as 
no person else ever had. And accordingly, when his zeal 
had exerted itself in purging the temple, St. John tells us, 
"his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of 
thine house hath eaten me up." The place where it is so 
written, is Psalm lxix. 9. and the passage is exactly parallel 
to this before us. 

140. Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. 



* Baron. Annal. ad. Ann. 602. 



554 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



"Thy word is very pure;" in the original, "tried, refined, 
purified, like gold in the furnace," absolutely perfect, with- 
out the dross of vanity and fallibility, which runs through 
human writings. The more we try the promises, the surer 
we shall find them.* This pure word hath likewise in it a 
power of purifying us. It containeth precepts and exam- 
ples of purity, helps and encouragements to purity, and the 
Spirit of purity goeth with it, and worketh by it. "There- 
fore thy servant loveth it;" and no one, but a true servant 
of God, can "therefore" love it, because it is pure; since 
he who loves it must desire to be like it, to feel its efficacy, 
to be reformed by it, and conformed to it. 

141. /am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy 
precepts. 

Faithfulness to God will often reduce men to straits, and 
bring upon them the contempt of the world ; happy are they, 
who, under these difficulties and discouragements, " forget 
not his precepts," but still continue faithful, looking unto 
Jesus, who once "endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and is now set down at the right hand of God." — 
Heb. xii. 2. 

142. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, 
and thy law is the truth. 

Men may decree wickedness by a law, or they may change 
their decrees, and, with them, what was right to-day, may 
be wrong to-morrow. But the law of God is "righteousness," 
and it is "truth," to-day and for ever. His justice, good- 
ness, and fidelity, are unchangeable ; he will never forsake 
us, unless we forsake him, but will remember us in our lowest 
estate, if in that estate, we "do not forget his precepts." 

143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold upon, or, have 
found me : yet thy commandments are my delights. 

We need not take pains, as many do, "to find trouble, 
and anguish," for they will, one day, "find us." In that 
day the revelations of God must be to us instead of all 
worldly "delights " and pleasures, which will then have for- 
saken us ; and how forlorn and desolate will be our state, if 
we shall have no other delights, no other pleasures, to suc- 
ceed them, and to accompany us into eternity ! Let our study 

* Pure gold is so fixed, that Boerhaave informs us of an ounce of it set 
in the eye of a glass furnace for two months, without losing a single grain. 



DAY XXVI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



555 



be now in the scriptures, if we expect our comfort from 
them in time to come. 

144. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting : 
give me understanding, and I shall live. 

In every sense, O Lord Jesu, thy righteousness is " ever- 
lasting:" Grant us the "understanding " of it, in every sense, 
and we "shall live" in thee now, and with thee for ever. 

TWENTY-SIXTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 
KOPH. — PART XIX. 

145. I cried with my whole heart ; hear me, O Lord: I 
will keep thy statutes. 146. / cried unto thee ; save me, 
and I shall keep thy testimonies. 

Believers, in time of affliction, make their prayer to God 
with fervour and importunity, petitioning for deliverance, 
that they may the better serve their Deliverer, and keep 
his laws. 

147. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried : 
I hoped in thy word. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night- 
watches, that I might meditate in thy word. 

It is a certain sign that our hearts are set upon a work, 
when the thoughts of it cause sleep to depart from us, and 
we awake readily, constantly, and early, to the performance 
of it. David delighted in the holy exercises of prayer and 
meditation; therefore he "prevented the dawning of the 
morning," and was beforehand with the light itself; there- 
fore his " eyes prevented the watches," that is, the last of 
those watches, into which the night was by the Jews divided; 
he needed not the watchman's call, but was stirring before 
it could be given. Climate and constitution will, doubtless, 
make a difference, and claim considerable allowance ; but 
by Christians, who enjoy their health, in temperate weather, 
the sun should not be suffered to shine in vain, nor the 
golden hours of the morning to glide away unimproved ; 
since of David's Lord, as well as of David, it is said, " in 
the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went 
out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." 
—Mark i. 35. 

149. Hear my voice, according unto thy loving-kindness : 
O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment: that is, thy 



556 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



ivord. 150. They draw nigh that follow after mischief : 
they are far from thy law. 151. Thou art near, O Lord; 
and all thy commandments are truth. 

If our enemies "draw nigh" to destroy us, God is still 
" nearer" to preserve us; and however his "word" may be 
rejected by the wicked, the faithful always find it to be 
" true," to their great and endless comfort. 

152. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old, 
that thou hast founded them for ever. 

This portion of our Psalm endeth with the triumph of faith 
over all dangers and temptations. "Concerning thy testi- 
monies," the revelations of thy will, thy counsels for the 
salvation of thy servants, "I have known of old," by faith, 
and by my own experience, as well as that of others, "that 
thou hast founded them for ever; they are unalterable and 
everlasting as the attributes of their great Author, and can 
never fail those who rely upon them, in time or in eternity. 

RESH. — PART XX. 

153. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do 
not forget thy law. 

It is happy when our "afflictions" do not make us to 
" forget the law of God :" then have we confidence toward 
him in our prayers, that he will "consider" and regard our 
sufferings, as he did those of Israel in Egypt, and come 
down to "deliver" us out of all our troubles: for Israel is 
still in Egypt, while the church is in the world ; but let us 
remember the promise, and rejoice in hope. 

154. Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me accord- 
ing to thy word. 

God is the Patron of his people, to " plead " their "cause ;" 
their Redeemer, to "deliver" them out of troubles; the 
Author and Fountain of their life, "to quicken" and support 
them. We may, therefore, have recourse to him at all times, 
as an Advocate, a Saviour, and a Comforter, for the defence 
of our cause, the deliverance of our persons, and the support 
of our hearts. And all this, "according to his word," in 
which he hath engaged thus to patronize, to rescue, and to 
strengthen those who trust in him, and apply to him. 

155. Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not 
thy statutes. 



DAY XXVI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



557 



The " salvation " which is nigh the faithful, because they 
diligently and earnestly seek to know and to do the will of 
God revealed to them in his word, is "far from the wicked," 
because they "seek not his statutes," nor concern themselves 
to know what they are, much less to observe and practise 
them. 

156. Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord : quicken me 
according to thy judgments, that is, thy word. 157. Many 
are my persecutors, and mine enemies ; yet do I not decline 
from thy testimonies. 158. I beheld the transgressors, and 
was grieved ; because they kept not thy word. 

Persecution tempteth men to apostasy, and is the great 
trial of our fidelity to God and to his word. He who, in 
such circumstances, forgetteth his own sufferings, to com- 
miserate the sin and folly of his persecutors, is a true follower, 
as David was a forerunner, of Jesus Christ. 

159. Consider how I love thy precepts : quicke?i me, O 
Lord, according to thy loving-kindness. 160. Thy word is 
true from the beginning : and every one of thy righteous 
judgments endureth for ever. 

It is observable how the Psalmist delighteth to dwell on 
these two sweet notes; the "loving-kindness" of God in 
promising salvation, and his "truth" in the constant per- 
formance of that promise to his church, while she "loves" 
and adheres to his "precepts." Thus it hath been "from 
the beginning," and thus it will be, until the whole counsel 
of heaven shall at length be fulfilled, by the resurrection 
and salvation of the just. 

SCHIN. — PART XXI. 

161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but 
my heart standeth in awe of thy word. 162. / rejoice at 
thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. 

David was " persecuted " by Saul and his associates, 
" without a cause." The life of Saul was spared by him, 
because he "stood in awe of God's word," and preferred the 
comfortable reflection, of having obeyed its injunctions, to 
all the "spoil," and to those many advantages, that would 
have accrued to him, by the overthrow and death of his 
implacable adversary, who acknowledged upon the occasion, 
— "Thou art more righteous than I." — 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. 



558 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXIX. 



The sufferings of the body are soon over ; the joys of con- 
science have no end. 

163. I hate and abhor lying : but thy law do I love. 
The word of truth is the proper object of our "love," and 

every thing which is contrary to it deserveth our "hatred 
and abhorrence ;" nor is life itself worth preserving, at the 
expense either of our faith or our virtue. 

164. Seven times a day do I 'praise thee, because of thy 
righteous judgments. 

They who, like David, during the time of persecution and 
affliction, put their trust in God, and wait his decision of 
their cause, will always find reason, as David did, to "praise 
him seven times a day," or continually, for his just decrees 
and " righteous judgments " concerning them. 

165. Great peace have they which love thy law: and 
nothing shall offend them. 

Amidst the storms and tempests of the world, there is a 
perfect calm in the breasts of those, who not only do the will 
of God, but "love" to do it. They are at peace with God, 
by the blood of reconciliation ; at peace with themselves, by 
the answer of a good conscience, and the subjection of those 
desires which war against the soul; at peace with all men, 
by the spirit of charity ; and the whole creation is so at 
peace with them, that all things work together for their good. 
No external troubles can rob them of this "great peace," no 
"offences" or stumbling blocks, which are thrown in their 
way by persecution, or temptation, by the malice of enemies, 
or the apostasy of friends, by anything which they see, hear 
of, or feel, can detain, or divert them from their course. 
Heavenly love surmounts every obstacle, and runs with de- 
light the way of God's commandments. 

166. Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy 
commandments. 

This is the true posture of a Christian, in which he need 
not fear to be found by his last and great enemy, Death, 
"doing" his duty, and "hoping" for salvation from the 
person, who is his Master, as well as his Redeemer, and 
who, consequently, expecteth to be obeyed, no less than to 
be believed in. 

167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies, and loved them 
exceedingly. 168. I have kept thy precepts and testimonies : 
for all my ways are before thee. 



DAY XXVI. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



559 



The "love of God's testimonies," and the consideration, 
that all "our ways are before him," and subject to his im- 
mediate inspection, are two powerful motives to obedience. 
The plea of having "kept the divine precepts," &c. -in the 
mouth of David, or any other believer, intendeth sincerity, 
not perfection, an is alleged as an evidence of grace, not 
as a claim of merit. Christ alone kept the old law, and he 
enableth us to observe the new. 

TAU. — PART XXII. 

169. Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord : give me 
understanding according to thy word. 170. Let my suppli- 
cation come before thee : deliver me according to thy word. 

The Psalmist still continueth instant in prayer for "under- 
standing," to direct him in the midst of dangers and tempta- 
tions, and for "deliverance" out of them all, when God shall 
see fit to accomplish the promises made in his "word." 
These are blessings, for which a man cannot be too frequent, 
or too earnest, in his petitions to the throne of heaven. 

171. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught 
me thy statutes. 172. My tongue shall speak of thy ivord: 
for all thy commandments are righteousness. 

He who obtaineth his requests, and is made a partaker of 
that grace and salvation, for which he so fervently prayed, 
will edify men, by singing the "praises" and proclaiming 
the " righteousness" of God his Saviour. 

173. Let thine hand help me : for L have chosen thy pre- 
cepts. 174. L have longed for thy salvation, O Lord : and 
thy law is my delight. 

"Salvation," by the "hand, or arm of Jehovah," (which 
is often in scripture a title of Messiah,) hath been the object 
of the hopes, the desires, and "longing" expectation of the 
faithful, from Adam to this hour; and will continue so to be, 
until He, who hath already visited us in great humility, shall 
come again in glorious majesty, to complete our redemption, 
and take us to himself. 

175. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee ; and let 
thy judgments help me. 

The " life " which God granteth and preserveth to us, 
whether it be the natural life of the body, or the spiritual 
life of the soul, (for both are from him,) should be employed 



560 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXIX, 



in "praising" him. This return for his mercies we are 
always ready to promise, when we are in danger, but often 
forgetful to perform, when delivered out of it. 

176. / have gone astray like a lost sheep : seek thy ser- 
vant ; for I do not forget thy commandments. 

It is doubtful, whether David here speaks of his misery, 
or his sin ; of his "wandering," as an exile, in foreign lands, 
or of his "going astray" from the " commandments" of his 
God, though he had not altogether " forgotten," but was 
desirous of returning again to the observance of them, and 
therefore beseeches the great Shepherd to "seek" and bring 
back his " lost sheep. " # In the application of the passage 
to ourselves, it matters not which interpretation we adopt, 
since we are both sinners and exiles ; exiles, because sin- 
ners ; we have erred and strayed from God's ways like lost 
sheep, and are, for that reason, excluded from our heavenly 
city and country, to wander for a time in the wilderness. 
Restore us, O Lord Jesu, by thy grace to righteousness, 
and by thy power to glory. 

* " Erravi sicut ovis — Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus." — Isa. liii. 6. 
Sed nos bonus ille Pastor humeris reportavit. — Luc. xv. 5. — Bossuet. Mr. 
Merrick's poetical paraphrase of this verse is so beautiful and affecting, 
that I cannot refrain from subjoining it : — 

Thine eyes in me the sheep behold, 

Whose feet havewander'd from the fold, 

That, guideless, helpless, strives in vain 

To find its safe retreat again ; 

Now listens, if perchance its ear 

The Shepherd's well-known voice may hear ; 

Now, as the tempests round it blow, 

In plaintive accents vents its woe. 

Great Ruler of this earthly ball, 

Do thou my erring steps recall : 

O seek thou him who thee has sought, 

Nor turns from thy decrees his thought. 



DA Y XXVII. M. P.j OX THE PSALMS. 



561 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. — MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXX. 

ARGUMENT. 

This, and the fourteen Psalms which follow it, are entitled, " Psalms of 
Degrees, or of Ascensions." For what reason they were so called, is 
altogether uncertain. Certain, however, it is, that they are most 
instructive and pleasing compositions, wonderfully calculated to elevate 
the soul to God ; and that the Christian, as he proceeds from one degree 
of virtue to another, in his way toward eternal felicity, cannot employ 
himself better than in meditation on them. In the first of these Psalms, 
the author, most probably David, complaineth of the falsehood, the 
treachery, and the violence of men, amongst whom he grieveth that his 
pilgrimage is prolonged. 

1. In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. 
2. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a 
deceitful tongue. 

The prophet relateth the success of his prayer made to 
Jehovah in time of trouble. He "cried," and was " heard." 
The particular species of trouble, under which he then la 
boured, was that caused by the malice and treachery of his 
adversaries, who either with "lying lips" bore false witness 
against him, or with a "deceitful tongue" tried to ensnare 
him, and to draw something from him, on which they might 
ground an accusation. Thus the Jews dealt with Christ ; 
and men of their cast and complexion have, in all ages, dealt 
thus with his true followers. From such "lips," and such 
"tongues," God only can " deliver" the persons and the 
reputations of the most innocent. 

3. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done 
unto thee, thou false tongue ? 4. Sharp arroivs of the mighty, 
with coals of juniper. 

Some render the first of these two verses a little differ- 
ently ; " What shall a false tongue give thee, or what shall 
it add to thee?" The sense will be much the same, whether 
the Psalmist be supposed to address his question to the false 
tongue, or to him who is the owner of it. The purport of 
the question plainly is this ; — What profit or advantage do 
you expect to reap from this practice of lying and slandering; 
what will at last be its end, and its reward ? Then followetli 

2 o 



562 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxx. 



the answer; — "Sharp arrows of the mighty one," TD^l, who is 
the avenger of truth and innocence; with a fire that burns 
fiercely, and burns long, like that which is made of "juni- 
per," or some wood used in those days, remarkable for 
increasing and retaining heat; punishments justly inflicted 
on a tongue, the words of which have been keen and killing 
as arrows, and which, by its lies and calumnies, hath con- 
tributed to set the world on fire. We read in the gospel, 
of one who exclaimed, " Send Lazarus, that he may dip 
the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue ; for I am 
tormented in t\i\§ flame." 

5. Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesech, that / dwell in 
the tents of Kedar. 

The Psalmist lamenteth his long continuance among those 
deceitful and malicious men, whom he compareth to the 
wild, barbarous, and idolatrous Arabs, the descendants of 
" Kedar," the son of Ishmael. — Gen. xxv. 13. The former 
part of the verse is, with great propriety, perhaps, rendered, 
by many of the translators and expositors, thus; — "Wo is 
me that my sojourning is prolonged — " ""pED VTto s % "I 
dwell, or, my dwelling is, among the tents of Kedar." When 
our Lord was upon earth, the Jews were become the spiritual 
Ishmaelites, sons of the bond-woman, persecutors of the sons 
of the free-woman, and the children of promise. " faith- 
less and perverse generation," saith he, "how long shall I 
be with you ? how long shall I suffer you ?" — Matt. xvii. 17. 
" And as then he that was born after the flesh, persecuted 
him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." — 
Gal. iv. 29. The church daily sigheth and groaneth, because 
her "sojourning is prolonged," and she dwelleth among ad- 
versaries of various denominations, among those who take 
delight in vexing and troubling her. These are the "tents of 
Kedar," among which we dwell in the wilderness, longing to 
depart, and to be with Christ in the city of the living God. 

6. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. 
7. Jam for peace; or, I am a man of peace: but when I 
speak, they are for war. 

If this was the case of David, much more might the Son 
of David make the same complaint, that he " dwelt with 
them that hated peace ;" that although he was " a man of 
peace," meek, lowly, and gracious, in his deportment, to all 
around him ; although he came to make peace, and to re- 



DAY XXVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



563 



concile all things in heaven and earth ; although his con- 
versation and his preaching were of peace, and love, and 
the kingdom of God ; yet no sooner did he open his mouth 
to "speak" upon these divine subjects, but his enemies 
were up in arms, ready to apprehend, to accuse, to con- 
demn, and to crucify him. Marvel not, O disciple of Jesus, 
if the world hate and oppose thee ; but pray only, that 
when thou shalt be used as he was, thou mayest be enabled 
to bear that usage as he did. 



PSALM CXXI. 

* * 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the prophet, 1, 2. introduceth a person, most probably an 
Israelite on his way to Jerusalem, expressing his trust and confidence 
in Jehovah, the Maker of heaven and earth, of whose favour and protec- 
tion, at all times, and in all dangers, the prophet, 3 — 8. assureth him. 
These promises, like those in Psalm xci. were, in their full and spiritual 
sense, made good to Messiah, and are now daily accomplishing in the 
members of his mystical body, the Christian church. Bishop Lowth 
supposeth the two first verses to be spoken by David, when going out to 
war, and the answer of encouragement to be made by the High Priest 
from the holy place. In this case, the idea of warfare is added to that 
of pilgrimage, and the Psalm rendered still more applicable to us, as 
well as to the true David, our King. 

1. / will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh 
my help, 2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made 
heaven and earth. 

The true Israelite, amidst the dangers of his earthly pil- 
grimage and warfare, looketh continually toward the hea- 
venly city, whither he, is travelling. Faith showeth him 
afar off the everlasting "hills, from whence cometh the 
help," which must bring him in safety to them. He "lifteth 
up his eyes," in prayer to the Almighty, whose temple and 
habitation are thereon. He putteth not his trust in any 
creature, but imploreth aid immediately of " him who made 
heaven and earth," and who, consequently, hath power 
over all things in both. 

3. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth 
thee will not slumber. 4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel, 
shall neither slumber nor sleep. 

In the two first verses, we heard the believer declaring his 

2 o2 



564 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. cxxr. 



resolution to trust in God. The prophet now commendeth 
that resolution, and encourageth him to persevere in it. As 
jf he had said, Thou dost well to expect help from Jehovah 
alone; to overlook the vanities here below; to place thy con- 
fidence, and set thy affections, on him who dwelleth above. 
Know, therefore, assuredly, that he will be with thee in the 
way in which thou goest ; he will preserve thee from falling, 
and defend thee from all dangers ; for in him thou hast a 
guardian, who is not, like all others, liable to remit his care, 
by being subject to sleep or death. The eye of his provi- 
dence is upon thee, and that is always open. " Behold, he 
that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." 

5. The Lord is thy keeper : the Lord is thy shade upon 
thy right hand. 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor 
the moon by night. 

The meaning is, that the good man, during his journey 
through life, shall be under God's protection at all seasons; 
as Israel in the wilderness was defended from the burning 
heat of the sun, by the moist and refreshing shadow of the 
cloud ; and secured against the inclement influences of the 
nocturnal heavens, by the kindly warmth and splendour dif- 
fused from the pillar of fire. Be thou with us thy servants, 
O Lord, in the world, as thou wast with Israel in the wilder- 
ness ; suffer not our virtue to dissolve before the sultry 
gleams of prosperity ; permit it not to be frozen by the 
chilling blasts of adversity. 

7. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil ; he shall 
preserve thy soul. 8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, 
and thy coming in, from this time forth, and even for ever- 
more. 

To dissipate our fears, and remove every ground of diffi- 
dence, Jehovah promiseth by his holy prophet, to "preserve 
us from all evil," which might befall us in the way, either 
by turning it aside, or turning it finally to our advantage, 
so that we shall not perish, but see our labours happily 
begun and ended in him ; he " shall preserve our going 
out, and our coming in," until, through all the vicissitudes 
of this mortal state, he shall have brought us into his holy 
"temple," there to become "pillars," and to " go no more 
out."— Rev. iii. 12. 



DAY XXVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



565 



PSALM CXXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The author of this Psalm, as we are informed by its title, was David. The 
subject of it is that joy which the people were wont to express, upon 
their going up in companies to keep a feast at Jerusalem, when the 
divine services were regulated, and that city was appointed to be the 
place of public worship. Every thing which can be said upon this 
topic, must naturally hold good in its application to the Christian 
church, and the celebration of her feasts ; at which seasons the believer 
will as naturally extend his thoughts to the Jerusalem above, and to that 
festival which shall one day be there kept by all the people of God. 

1 . / was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the 
house of the Lord. 

Great was the joy of an Israelite, when his brethren called 
upon him to accompany them, on some festive occasion, to 
the tabernacle or temple at Jerusalem ; great is the joy of 
a Christian, when he is invited, in like manner, to celebrate 
the feasts of the church, to commemorate the nativity, or 
the resurrection, and to eat and drink at the table of his 
Lord. Such, in kind, but far greater in degree, is that 
gladness, which the pious soul experiences, when she is 
called hence ; when descending angels say unto her, Thy 
labour and sorrow are at an end, and the hour of thy en- 
largement is come ; put off mortality and misery at once ; 
quit thy house of bondage, and the land of thy captivity ; 
fly forth, and " let us go together into the house of the 
Lord, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 

2. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. 
Yes, O thou holy and happy city of peace, and love, and 

everlasting delight, our God will in time bring us to behold, 
and to enter thee ; "our feet," which now, with many a 
weary step, tread the earth, "shall" one day "stand within 
thy gates," which are opened to all believers ; we shall at 
length rest in thy celestial mansions, and converse for ever 
with thy blest inhabitants. 

3. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together. 

We see thee not, indeed, as yet, but we hear of thy sta- 
bility, thy unity, thy beauty, and thy magnificence. Thy 
foundations are firm upon the holy hills ; they are garnished 
with all manner of precious stones ; and in them are the 
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Thy gates are 



566 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXII. 



of pearl, twelve in number, and open to all quarters, for the 
tribes of the spiritual Israel to come in. Thy streets are of 
pure gold, as it were transparent glass ; thou art crowned 
with the unfading brightness of eternal glory ; and the Lord 
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple in the midst 
of thee. AH these glorious things are spoken of thee, thou 
city of God ! And yet, when we come to see thee with our 
eyes, we shall be forced to confess, as the queen of Sheba 
did, upon viewing the earthly Jerusalem, with its material 
temple, and the court of its mortal king, that thou far " ex- 
ceedest the fame which we had heard," and that "the half 
was not told us." — 1 Kings x. 7. 

4. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto, 
or, according to the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto 
the name of the Lord, 

As all the "tribes " of Israel, three times in the year, were 
seen " going up " to the Old Jerusalem, in compliance with 
the "testimonies," the injunctions, and institutions of their 
law, to acknowledge the mercies, and to give thanks unto 
the name of "Jehovah," who had done such great things 
for them ; so from the ends of the earth are the redeemed of 
the Lord, out of every nation, and kindred, and people, con- 
tinually ascending, by faith and charity, to the New Jeru- 
salem. St. John saw the nations of them that were saved, 
walking in the light of the heavenly city, and he heard her 
streets resound with the hallelujahs of ten thousand times 
ten thousand. 

5. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of 
the house of David. 

The Israelites resorted to Jerusalem, because it was the 
metropolis of the country, and there was the residence of 
their monarchs, after the kingdom was established in " the 
house of David." But, alas ! that metropolis is desolate, and 
" the thrones of judgment," which were therein, have been 
long since cast down to the ground. A Jerusalem, however, 
remains, which shall never be moved ; in that Jerusalem is 
the throne of eternal judgment erected, and the Son of David 
sitteth upon it. Of him it was said by the angel to Mary, 
"The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
David : and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, 
and of his kingdom there shall be no end." — Luke i. 32. 
And he himself thus addressed his apostles ; — " Verily,! say 



DAY XXVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



567 



unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regene- 
ration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his 
glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel/' — Matt. xix. 28. 

6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper 
that love thee. 

In this latter part of our Psalm, the members of the 
Israelitish church are exhorted to pray for its peace and 
welfare. What that church was, the Christian church mili- 
tant upon earth now is, and demandeth, in like manner, the 
prayers of all Christian people for its peace and welfare in 
a troublesome and contentious world. Its increase here 
below is in reality the increase of Jerusalem above, of which 
it is a part, and ought to be a resemblance. Heaven has 
therefore decreed, that they who contribute their labours, as 
well as their prayers, to promote so good and so glorious 
an end, shall enjoy its protection, and its blessing shall be 
upon the work of their hands. " They shall prosper that 
love thee." 

7. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity , or plenteous- 
ness within thy palaces. 

Come, O thou divine Spirit of peace and love, who didst 
reside in the soul of the holy Jesus, descend into his mystical 
body, and fill us, who compose it, with all his heavenly 
tempers; put an end to heresies, heal all schisms, cause 
bitter contentions to cease, abolish every enmity, and make 
us to be of one mind in thy holy city; that so, "peace being 
within her walls," her citizens may give themselves to every 
profitable employment, and " plenteousness " of grace, wis- 
dom, and truth, as well as of earthly blessings, may be in all 
her " palaces." Thus will she become a lively portrait of 
that place which is prepared for them that love one another, 
where, with one heart and one voice, they shall ascribe 
" salvation and glory to God and the Lamb." 

8. For my brethren and companions' sake, I will now say, 
Peace be within thee. 9. Because of the house of the Lord 
our God I will seek thy good. 

In these concluding verses, the Psalmist declareth the two 
motives which induced him to utter his best wishes, and to 
use his best endeavours, for the prosperity of Jerusalem ; 
namely, love of his brethren, whose happiness was involved 
in that of their city ; and love of God, who had there fixed 



568 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXIT. 



the residence of his glory. These motives are ever in force, 
and ought, surely, to operate with marvellous energy upon 
our hearts, to stir us up to imitate the pattern now before 
us, in fervent zeal and unwearied labour, for the salvation of 
men, and the glory of their great Redeemer ; both which 
will then be complete, when the church militant shall be- 
come triumphant, and the heavenly paradise shall be filled 
with plants taken from its terrestrial nursery. 

Theodore Zuinger, of whom some account may be found 
in Thuanus, when he lay on his death-bed, took his leave of 
the world, in a paraphrase on the foregoing Psalm ; giving 
it the same turn with that given to it above, I have never 
been able to get a sight of the original;* but one may 

* Since the publication of the first edition, a learned friend has obliged 
me with a copy of these Latin verses of Zuinger, transcribed from the 
303d page of Vitse Germanorum Medicorum, by Melchior Adamus. They 
are as follow : — 

O lux Candida, lux mihi 
Laeti conscia transitus ! 
Per Christi meritum patet 

Vitse porta beatee. 
Me status revocat dies 
Augustam Domini ad domum : 
Jam sacra setherii premam 

Laetus limina templi. 
Jam visam Solymse edita 
Ccelo culmina, et sedium, 
Csetus angelicos, suo et 

Augustam populo urbem : 
Urbem, quam procul infimis 
Terrse finibus exciti 
Petunt Christiadse, ut Deum 

Laudent voce perenni : 
Jussam coelitus oppidis 
Urbem jus dare cseteris, 
Et sedem fore Davidis 

Cuncta in saecla beati. 
Mater nobilis urbium ! 
Semper te bona pax amat : 
Et te semper amantibus 

Cedunt omnia recte. 
Semper pax tua mcenia 
Colit ; semper in atriis 
Tuis copia dextera 

Larga munera fundit. 
Dulcis Christiadum domus, 
Civem adscribe novitium : 
Sola comitata Caritas — 

Spesque Fidesque valete. 



DAY XXVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 569 

venture, I believe, to say, that it has lost nothing in a trans- 
lation of it by the late learned and pious Mr. Merrick ; 
which is so excellent, that I must beg leave to present it to 
the reader. Some of the lines are retained in his more 
literal Poetical Version, published in 1765. It may serve as 
a finished specimen of the noble and exalted use, which a 
Christian may, and ought to make of the Psalms of David. 

PSALM CXXII. 
I. 

What joy, while thus I view the day, 
That warns my thirsting soul away, 

What transports fill my breast ! 
For, lo, my great Redeemer's power 
Unfolds the everlasting door, 

And leads me to his Rest. 

II. 

The festal morn, my God, is come, 
That calls me to the hallow'd dome, 

Thy presence to adore ; 
My feet the summons shall attend, 
With willing steps thy courts ascend, 

And tread th' ethereal floor. 

III. 

E'en now to my expecting eyes 

The heaven-built towers of Salem rise, 

E'en now, with glad survey, 
I view her mansions, that contain 
Th' angelic forms, an awful train, 

And shine with cloudless day. 

IV. 

Hither, from earth's remotest end, 
Lo, the redeem'd of God ascend, 

Their tribute hither bring : 
Here crown'd with everlasting joy, 
In hymns of praise their tongues employ, 

And hail th' immortal King : 

V. 

Great Salem's King ; who bids each state 
On her decrees dependent wait ; 

In her, ere time begun, 
High on eternal base uprear'd 
His hands the regal seat prepar'd 

For Jesse's favour'd Son. 



570 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXIII. 



VI. 

Mother of cities ! o'er thy head 

See peace, with healing wings outspread, 

Delighted fix her stay. 
How blest, who calls himself thy friend ! 
Success his labours shall attend, 

And safety guard his way. 

VII. 

Thy walls remote from hostile fear, 
Nor the loud voice of tumult hear, 

Nor war's wild wastes deplore ; 
There smiling plenty takes her stand, 
And in thy courts with lavish hand 

Has pour'd forth all her store. 

VIII. 

Let me, blest seat, my name behold 
Among thy citizens enroll'd, 

In thee for ever dwell. 
Let Charity my steps attend, 
My sole companion and my friend, 

And Faith and Hope farewell ! 



PSALM CXXIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. an act of confidence in God, with 3,4. a 
prayer for deliverance from that reproach and contempt which infidelity 
and sensuality are wont to pour upon the afflicted people of God. 

1. Unto thee I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in 
the heavens. 

The church, when distressed and persecuted upon earth, 
u lifteth up her eyes to him that dwelleth in the heavens, " 
from thence beholding and ordering all things here below. 
It is by his permission that she is depressed and insulted ; 
and he only can deliver her out of the hands of her enemies. 

2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of 
their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of 
her mistress ; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until 
that he have mercy upon us. 

The servants of God, like other servants, if they are in- 
jured and sufFer violence, expect redress and protection from 



DAY XXVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



571 



the Master, whose they are, and whom they serve. Under 
the law of Moses, a master was to demand satisfaction, and 
to have it made him, for any hurt done to his servant. And 
shall not the best of Masters avenge the wrongs done to 
those who serve Him ; and done, perhaps, because they 
serve Him? Without doubt, he will avenge them speedily, 
and reward the sufferers gloriously. 

3. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us ; for 
we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4. Our soul is ex- 
ceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, 
and with the contempt of the proud. 

Unbelieving, ungodly , and worldly men, who are "at ease," 
and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, will 
always be ready to cast upon the afflicted servants of Christ 
some portion of that reproach and contempt, which were so 
plentifully poured upon their blessed Master, in the day of 
his passion, and, indeed, through his whole life. With 
these they may justly complain, " that their souls are ex- 
ceedingly filled," insomuch that they are compelled to 
exclaim with redoubled earnestness, " Have mercy upon 
us, O Lord, have mercy upon us." And let them know, for 
their comfort, that the Lord will " have mercy upon them " 
in that day, when sensuality shall be succeeded by torment, 
and pride shall end in shame and confusion ; when patient 
overty shall inherit everlasting riches, and oppressed 
umility shall be exalted to a throne above the stars. 



PSALM CXXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, which, as we are informed by the title, hath David for its 
author, the church describeth the danger in which she had been, and 
giveth to God alone the glory of her deliverance out of it. 

1 . If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now 
may Israel say ; 2. If it had not been the Lord who was 
on our side, when men rose up against us : 3. Then they had 
swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled 
against us. 

The people of Israel, rescued from impending ruin, break 
forth into a joyful acknowledgment of that almighty aid, to 



572 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXIV. 



which they were indebted for their deliverance. "Men" 
rose up against them, but " Jehovah " was on their side ; 
men intended to devour, but God interposed to save. May 
not " the Israel of God" say, in like manner, " If the Lord 
had not been on our side," when our spiritual enemies, sin, 
death, and hell, were in arms against us, surely now " they 
had swallowed us up quick," and we had perished ever- 
lastingly. It is thou, O Lord Jesu, who hast wrought for 
us this great salvation ; it is thou, who, from the beginning, 
hast preserved thy church in the world amidst the persecu- 
tions which must otherwise have put an end to its very 
existence. 

4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us ; the stream, or, 
torrent had gone over our soul : 4. Then the proud, or, swell- 
ing waters had gone over our soul. 

The redeemed are astonished, upon looking back, at the 
greatness of the danger to which they had been exposed. 
They can compare the fury and insolence of their adversaries 
to nothing but overwhelming floods, and desolating torrents ; 
and they consider themselves as snatched by a miracle from 
instant destruction. Happy they who are taken from the 
evil to come, and have passed from the miseries of earth to 
the felicities of heaven, where they are neither tempted nor 
molested more. The devout Christian, whom, in perilous 
times, and toward the close of life, a gracious Providence 
has thrown ashore in some sequestered corner, from whence 
he views those secular tumults with which he hath no far- 
ther concern, is perhaps arrived at the next degree of hap- 
piness to that of just spirits made perfect. 

6. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to 
their teeth. 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare 
of the fowlers : the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 

The marvellous deliverance of Israel is illustrated by two 
other images. It is compared to the escape of a lamb from 
the jaws of a wolf, or a lion ; and to that of a bird, by 
the breaking of the snare, in which it had been entangled, 
before the fowler came to seize and to kill it. Save us, O 
God, from the rage and the subtilty of our spiritual adver- 
sary ; save "as from his teeth, when he would devour ; from 
his snares when he would deceive ; suffer us not, either by 
persecution or temptation, to fall from thee ; let the lion 
gnash his teeth, and the fowler look for his captive in vain ; 



DAY XXVII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



573 



that so we too may sing the song of Zion in thy heavenly 
kingdom, and say, " Blessed be the Lord, who hath not 
given us over for a prey unto their teeth. Our soul is 
escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers ; the snare 
is broken, and we are escaped." 

8. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven 
and earth. 

The great lesson which this Psalm, from the beginning 
to the end, inculcates, is, that for every deliverance, 
whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, we should, in 
imitation of the saints above, ascribe " Salvation to God 
and to the Lamb." 



PSALM CXXY. 

ARG L'ilEXTi 

In this Psalm, the church is comforted withthe promises, 1, 2. of God's 
protection, and, 3. of his removing, in due time, from his inheritance, 
the rod of the oppressor; when, 4. the faithful will be rewarded, and, 
5. apostates punished, with other workers of iniquity. Aben Ezra, as 
cited by Dr. Hammond, applied the Psalm to the days of Messiah. 

1. They that trust in the Lord, shall be as Mount Zion, 
which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. 2. As the 
mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round 
about his people from henceforth even for ever. 

The stability of the church, and the protection afforded 
her by Jehovah, were of old represented by the mountain on 
which the divine presence resided, and by the hills which 
encompassed Jerusalem, so as to render that city in a manner 
impregnable. While her inhabitants continued to "trust in 
the Lord," this was the case. But when they became faith- 
less and disobedient, she became weak, and like another city. 
Let not our "trust in God" be a presumptuous ungrounded 
assurance, but let it be a confidence springing from faith 
unfeigned, out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and fer- 
vent charity . Then shall our situation, whether as a church 
or as individuals, resemble that of the holy mount in the 
beloved city, and our God will be unto us a fortress, and a 
wall round about. But let us never forget, that the pro- 
mises to us, like those to Israel, are conditional. "Because 
of unbelief they were broken off. and we stand by faith." 



574 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXV. 



3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of 
the righteous : lest the righteous put forth their hands unto 
iniquity. 

God may, and often doth permit "the rod" or power "of 
the wicked to fall upon the lot of the righteous," in this 
world. But it is only for the purposes of chastisement, or 
probation. The rod is not suffered to "rest, or abide" there 
too long, "lest the righteous," harassed and worn down by 
oppression, and seeing no end of their calamities, should be 
tempted to "put their hands to iniquity," and practise that 
wickedness, which they find to prosper so well here below. 
The import of this verse seemeth to be the same with that of 
our Lord's prediction concerning the troubles of the latter 
days. " Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not 
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever 
shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there 
should no flesh be saved. But for the elect's sake those 
days shall be shortened." — Matt. xxiv. 21, 22. 

4. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them 
that are upright in heart. 5. As for such as turn aside unto 
their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the 
workers of iniquity : but peace shall be upon Israel. 

The "good and upright in heart" are they who stand 
steady in every change of circumstances ; who complain not 
of God's dispensations, but, believing every thing to be best 
which he ordains, adhere to him with a will entirely con- 
formed to his, in adversity no less than in prosperity. To 
these Jehovah will finally "do good," and they shall receive 
the reward of their faith and patience ; while such as, in 
time of trial, have fallen away, and returned no more, shall 
be "led forth" to punishment "with the workers of ini- 
quity," to whose company their apostasy hath joined them. 
And then. " peace shall be upon the Israel of God," with 
joy and gladness, for evermore. 



DAY XXVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



575 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the children of Zion, 1 — 3. describe the joy consequent 
upon their restoration from captivity ; 4. they pray God to bring back 
the rest of their countrymen, and to complete his work ; 5, 6. they 
foresee and predict the success of their labours in rebuilding their ruined 
city, with its temple, and cultivating again their desolated country. The 
return of Israel from Babylon holds forth a figure of the same import 
with the Exodus of that people from Egypt. And this Psalm, like the 
prophecies of Isaiah, representeth the blessed effects of a spiritual re- 
demption, in words primarily alluding to that temporal release. 

1. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we 
were like them that dream. 

That Cyrus should issue a decree for the Jews to return 
to their own country, and to rebuild their city and temple ; 
that he should dismiss such a number of captives, not only 
without money and without price, but should send them home 
laden with presents ; Ezra i. 1 — 4. this was the work of Je- 
hovah, who only could thus "turn the captivity of Sion." 
A restoration so complete, so strange and unlooked for, 
brought about at once, without any endeavours used on the 
side of Israel, seemed, in all these respects, as a "dream ;" 
and the parties concerned, when they saw and heard such 
things, could scarce believe themselves to be awake. That 
the King of kings, of his own mere love and mercy, should 
take pity on poor mankind, in their more grievous captivity 
under sin and death ; that he should send his only Son to 
purchase their liberty, his Spirit to enrich, and conduct 
them to their country above, and his heralds to proclaim 
such unexpected deliverance to all the world ; this likewise, 
was the work of the same Jehovah, who only could thus 
" turn again the captivity of his Zion." Sinners, when the 
tidings of a salvation so great and marvellous are preached 
to them, think themselves in a "dream," and with difficulty 
give credit even to the royal proclamation, though the great 
seal of heaven be affixed to it. 

2. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue 



576 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXXVI. 



with singing : then said they among the heathen, The Lord 
hath done great things for them. 3. The Lord hath done 
great things for us ; whereof we are glad. 

The people of God soon find, that they are not mocked 
with illusions, but that all about them is reality and truth. 
Then sorrow and sighing, fear and distrust, fly away together. 
Joy fills their hearts, and overflows by their tongues, in songs 
of praise. The nations hear and are astonished, and own 
the hand of Jehovah in the restoration of his people ; "Je- 
hovah hath done great things for them." The chosen people 
echo back the gladsome sound, and reply, with transports 
of gratitude, " Jehovah hath done great things for us, 
whereof we are glad." Every word of this agreeth not 
more exactly to the return from Babylon, than it doth to 
that eternal redemption thereby prefigured, which is the 
grand subject of thanksgiving in the Christian church. 

4. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in 
the south. 

The joy occasioned by Cyrus's proclamation having been 
described in the former part of the Psalm, we may now sup- 
pose some of the Jews ready to set out on their return home : 
at which time, and during their journey, they prefer this pe- 
tition to God, that he would be pleased to bring back the 
rest of their countrymen, who, like "floods" rolling down 
upon the thirsty regions of the " south,"* might people the 
land, and by their labours put an end to the desolations of 
Judah. That God would daily increase the number of true 
converts from the world to the church, to clear and culti- 
vate the mystical vineyard, to build and to ornament the 
holy city, should be the prayer of every labourer in that 
vineyard, of every citizen in that city. 

5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6. He that 
goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless 
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. 

* I think the image is taken from the "torrents" in the deserts to the 
south of Judaea; In Idumeea, Arabia Petrsea, &c. a mountainous country. 
These torrents were constantly dried up in the summer ; see Job vi. 17, 18. 
and as constantly " returned" after the rainy season, and fi]led again their 
deserted channels. The point of the comparison seems to be the " re- 
turn" and renewal of these (not " rivers" but) " torrents ;" which yearly 
leave their beds dry, but fill them again ; as the Jews had left their country 
desolate, but now "flowed again" into it. — Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's 
Annotations. Dr. Durell renders this verse as follows : — "The turning of 
our captivity, O Lord, is as streams in the south." 



DAY XXVII. E. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



577 



The fatigue of travelling from Babylon to Judea; the 
melancholy prospect of a long depopulated country, and 
ruined city; the toil necessary to be undergone, before the 
former could be again brought into order, and the latter 
rebuilt; all these considerations could not but allay the joy 
of the released captives, and even draw many tears from 
their eyes. They are therefore comforted with a gracious 
promise, that God would give a blessing to the labours of 
their hands, and crown them with success, so that they 
should once more see Jerusalem in prosperity, and behold 
in Zion the beauty of holiness. This promise is conveyed 
under images borrowed from the instructive scenes of agri- 
culture. In the sweat of his brow the husbandman tills his 
land, and casts the seed into the ground, where, for a time, 
it lies dead and buried. A dark and dreary winter succeeds, 
and all seems to be lost. But at the return of spring, uni- 
versal nature revives, and the once desolate fields are 
covered with corn, which, when matured by the sun's heat, 
the cheerful reapers cut down, and it is brought home with 
triumphant shouts of joy. Here, O disciple of Jesus, be- 
hold an emblem of thy present labour, and thy future re- 
ward. Thou " sowest," perhaps, "in tears;" thou doest 
thy duty amidst persecution and affliction, sickness, pain, 
and sorrow; thou labourest in the church, and no account 
is made of thy labours; no profit seems likely to arise from 
them. Nay, thou must thyself drop into the dust of death, 
and all the storms of that winter must pass over thee, until 
thy form shall be perished, and thou shalt see corruption. 
Yet, the day is coming, when thou shalt "reap in joy;" 
and plentiful shall be thy harvest. For thus thy blessed 
Master " went forth weeping, a man of sorrows, and ac- 
quainted with grief, bearing precious seed," and sowing it 
around him, till at length his own body was buried, like a 
grain of wheat, in the furrow of the grave. But he arose, 
and is now in heaven; from whence he "shall doubtless 
come again with rejoicing," with the voice of the archangel 
and the trump of God, "bringing his sheaves with him." 
Then shall every man receive the fruit of his works, and 
have praise of God. 



578 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXXVI1. 



PSALM CXXVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

If this Psalm were written by Solomon, or by David for Solomon, as the 
title importeth, it was probably used again at the time of rebuilding the 
city and temple, after the return from Babylon. But, indeed, it is a 
Psalm which can never be out of season, the design of its author being 
to teach us the necessity of a dependence upon God and his blessing, in 
every work to which we set our hands. What is said with regard to an 
earthly house, city, and family, extendeth also to the spiritual house, 
city, and family of Christ, which are now, what Jerusalem, the temple, 
and the people of Israel, were in old time. 

1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain 
that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 
waketh but in vain. 

In every undertaking, the blessing of God must accompany 
the labours of man, to render them effectual. No work can 
prosper without Him, nor can any design miscarry under his 
favour and protection, which are equally necessary to be 
obtained by the builder in time of peace, and by the soldier 
in time of war. But they, above all men, ought to implore 
the divine grace and benediction, who are employed either 
in building or defending the spiritual house and city of God ; 
especially as the same persons, like the Jews after the capti- 
vity, surrounded by enemies always ready to obstruct the 
work, are often obliged to hold a sword in one hand, while 
they build with the other. Our own edification in faith and 
holiness must likewise be carried on by us in this attitude, 
by reason of the many temptations which are continually 
assailing us. It may also be remarked, that both Solomon 
and Zerubbabel had vainly laboured to construct the first or 
the second material temple, unless Jehovah himself had 
built the true house for the reception of his glory, that is to 
say, the temple of Christ's body, and, after it was fallen down, 
had reared it again, by a resurrection from the dead. 

2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat 
the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. 

The Psalmist doth not, certainly, intend to say, that labour 
and diligence are vain, but that they are so, except the Lord 
be with the labourer; the business is not to be done by all 
the industry and pains, all the carking and caring in the 
world, without Him ; whereas, if his aid be called in, if part 



DAY XXVIi. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 579 

of our time be spent in prayer, not the whole of it in prayer- 
less toiling and moiling, our work will become easier, and 
go on better; a solicitude and anxiety for its success and 
completion will no longer prey upon our minds by day, and 
break our rest at night ; we shall cheerfully fulfil our daily 
tasks, and then, with confidence and resignation, lay our 
heads upon our pillows, and God will " give to his beloved" 
a sweet and undisturbed " sleep," which shall fit them to 
return every morning, with renewed vigour and alacrity, to 
their stated employments. This seemeth to be the import of 
the verse. An obscurity has been occasioned in the transla- 
tions, by rendering the adverb p so ; " so he giveth his be- 
loved sleep;" in which form, this last part of the verse will 
not connect with what goes before. But if p be translated, 
like its kindred particle pN, " surely* he giveth his beloved 
sleep;" or, as Dr. Hammond renders it, " since he giveth his 
beloved sleep;" the difficulty will vanish, and the sense 
appear to be, as above. Nor can we easily find a more 
profitable piece of instruction, with regard to the manage- 
ment of all our concerns, temporal and spiritual. 

3. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the 
fruit of the womb is his reward. 

The labours of mankind, first, in building houses and cities, 
and then in guarding and securing their possessions, are 
undergone, not with a view to themselves alone, but to their 
families, which they would establish and perpetuate. The 
Psalmist therefore, in the preceding verses, having taught 
men to expect a happy settlement only from the favour of 
Jehovah, now directs them to look up to him for the farther 
blessing of a numerous and virtuous progeny. He can in a 
moment blast the most fruitful stock, or he can " make the 
barren woman to keep house, and to become a joyful mother 
of children. Lo, children are an heritage of Jehovah;" an 
heritage which. he bestows on those who fear him; " the 
fruit of the womb is a reward" conferred by him, where he 
sees it will be a blessing indeed, upon faithful and pious 
parents. St. Paul calls the converts made by his ministry, 
his " children ; " and all believers are the children of Christ, 
the "heritage" given him by his Father, the "rew T ard" of his 
righteous life, and meritorious death; as it is written, " I 

* This is the second of the senses given to this particle by Noldius, who 
cites, in confirmation of it, 1 Sam. ix. 13. 1 Kings xx. 40. 

2 p 2 



580 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXVJI 



will give thee the heathen, for thine inheritance. He shall 
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." — 
Ps. ii. 8. Isa. liii. 11. 

4. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man : so are 
children of the youth. 

Children, when well educated, are like so many " arrows 
in the hand of a strong man ; " ready winged with duty and 
love, to fly to the mark; polished and keen, to grace and 
maintain the cause of their parents, to defend them from 
hostile invasions, and instantly to repel every assailant. The 
apostles and first Christians were arrows in the hand of Mes- 
siah, with which he encountered his enemies, and subdued the 
nations to the faith. When, by the splendour of their sanctity, 
the power of their miracles, and the efficacy of their preach- 
ing, they pierced the hearts of thousands and ten thousands, 
what were they but " arrows in the hand of "OS the Mighty 
One? " And in this instance likewise it may truly be said, that 
no well nurtured son of Christ and the Church will hear his 
father dishonoured, or despise his mother when she is old. 

5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: 
they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the 
enemies in the gate. 

In a house full of dutiful children consisteth the happiness 
of their parents, who then can never want friends; friends, 
that will at no time be " ashamed," but will at all times 
rejoice, to appear for them, to meet their " enemies" and 
accusers " in the gate," or place of judgment,* there to 
answer any charge against them, to vindicate them in their 
persons, their good name, or their property. It is a glo- 
rious sight to behold children thus standing forth in the 
defence of their parents. In the multitude of true believers 
consist the glory of Christ, and the riches of the church. 
How forward were the primitive Christians to meet the ene- 
mies of these their spiritual parents "in the gate; "how ready, 
in their cause, to speak openly, and, having witnessed a good 
confession, to die by the hand of the executioner ! Therefore 
shall they not be ashamed at the judgment of the last day, 
but shall then stand with great boldness before the face of 

* Mr. Merrick observes, that the gate was sometimes the seat of war, as 
well as the place of judicature. — " Then was war in the gates." — Judges 
v. 8. He mentions a remarkable Chinese proverb: " When a son is born 
into a family, a bow and arrow are hung before the gate." 



DAY XXVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



581 



such as have afflicted, persecuted, and tormented them. For 
their heavenly Father will then be their Judge, and will own, 
in his turn, the cause of his dutiful children, who for his sake 
endured tribulation, and loved not their lives unto the death. 
Confusion shall overwhelm the accuser of the brethren, with 
all the instruments of his malice; but glory, honour, and 
immortality, shall be given to the children of God. 



PSALM CXXVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth a promise made to him who, 1. feared Jehovah, and 
walked in his ways, that he should be blessed, 2. in his person, and, 
3, 4. in his family, and that he should see the good of Jerusalem. The 
Psalm was, probably, sung at the marriages of the Israelites, as it is 
now a part of the matrimonial service among us. In its prophetical 
and exalted sense, it hath respect to the person, marriage, family, and 
city of Messiah. 

1. Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord: that walketh 
in his iuays. 

Happiness belongeth not to the rich, the powerful, and 
the prosperous, as such; but, in every state and condition, 
blessed is the man that " feareth Jehovah," that so feareth 
him as to obey him, and to " walk in his ways," notwith- 
standing all the obstructions he may meet with from the 
world, the flesh, and the devil. Blessed above all the sons 
of men, and the author of blessing to them all, was the man 
Christ Jesus, because, above them all, and for them all, he 
feared, he loved, and he obeyed. 

2. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy 
shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 

The person is here beautifully changed, and to the man who 
feareth Jehovah, is addressed an enumeration of those bless- 
ings which shall attend him. He is to " eat the labour of 
his hands, ' ' that is, the fruit, or returns of his labours. Hereby 
it is implied, that he is not to be idle, but to " labour," that 
he may eat; that he is not to be niggardly, but to " eat," 
when he has laboured; that he is neither to be unjust, by 
living upon the labours, nor enslaved, by depending upon 
the bounty of others, but to eat of " his own" labours; and 
that he, whose labours procure him a sustenance, hath enough 
to be " blessed" and happy. — " Happy shall thou be, and it 



582 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXVIII. 



shall be well with thee:" every thing shall happen, which 
God seeth to be best for thee in this life, and (as saith the 
Chaldee Paraphrast on the place) " it shall be good to thee 
in the world to come." The glory of Christ, and the salva- 
tion of mankind, were the fruits of his actions and his suffer- 
ings in the days of his flesh; so that, in the enjoyment of 
them, he doth no more than "eat of the labours of his hands;" 
or, to use the words of Isaiah, " he seeth of the travail of 
his soul, and is satisfied." Before he went hence, he took 
comfort in the reflection, " 1 have glorified thee on the earth, 
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." — 
John xvii. 4. Happy shalt thou be, O Christian, and it shall 
be well with thee, if at thy latter end thou shalt be able to 
draw comfort from the same consideration. 

3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine 
house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 

Marriage was ordained by God to complete the felicity of 
man in a state of innocence ; and the benediction of heaven 
will ever descend upon it, when undertaken in " the fear of 
the Lord." The vine, a lowly plant, raised with tender care, 
becoming, by its luxuriancy, its beauty, its fragrance, and 
its clusters, the ornament and glory of the house to which 
it is joined, and by which it is supported, forms the finest 
imaginable emblem of a fair, virtuous, and fruitful wife. 
The olive trees, planted by the inhabitants of the eastern 
countries around their tables, or banqueting places in their 
gardens,* to cheer the eye by their verdure, and to refresh 
the body by their cooling shade, do not less aptly and sig- 
nificantly set forth the pleasure which parents feel, at the 
sight of a numerous and flourishing offspring. As marriage 
was, from the beginning, intended to represent the mystical 
union between Christ and his church, which union is spoken 
of in matrimonial language, through the scriptures both of 
die Old and New Testament, we need but extend our view, 
to behold, under the imagery of the vine and the olive plants, 
the prolific Spouse of Messiah, and the children of peace 

* This is Bishop Patrick's idea. The learned and ingenious Mr. Harmer 
in his very valuable " Observations on divers Passages of Scripture," (vol. 
i. p. 197. 2nd edit.) disapproves of it: as, he says, "we find no such 
arbours in the Levant, nor is the tree very proper for the purpose." He 
thinks, therefore, the " table" refers to the " children" only, and not to 
the " olives." But Mr. Merrick, in his Annotations, produces some very 
good arguments on the side of Bishop Patrick. 



DAY XXVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



583 



assembled round the table of their heavenly Father. — See 
Ps. lxxx. 8. Rom. xi. 17. 

4. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth 
the Lord, 

Are temporal blessings, then, the reward of piety? They 
are not its only, or chief reward, but are often "added," 
even under the new dispensation, to those who " first seek 
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." When they 
are withholden, or withdrawn, it is for the security or increase 
of those more valuable blessings which are spiritual. There 
are times, when father, mother, brethren, sisters, wife, children, 
and lands, must be given up for Christ's and the gospel's 
sake. But ample amends are promised to be made to all 
who thus part with earthly relations and possessions. They 
find in the church other fathers, mothers, brethren, sisters, 
children, &c. and at the resurrection they will " inherit all 
things," Rev. xxi. 7. and brighter coronets of glory shall 
sparkle from their heads. The scriptures show us the ser- 
vants of God in every state and condition: we view them 
rich and poor, honoured and despised, sick and in health, 
married and single, childless and otherwise, in prosperity 
and in adversity; to teach us, that all things work toge- 
ther for good to them who love God; so that the believer 
hath comfort always. If temporal blessings be granted 
him, he accepteth them as shadows of those which are eter- 
nal ; if they are denied, he remembereth that they are only 
shadows, and are therefore denied, that he may fix his 
thoughts and affections more firmly on the substance. 

5. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt 
see the good of Jerusalem, all the days of thy life. 6. Yea, 
thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel. 

Every true Israelite rejoiceth in the prosperity of Zion; a 
blessing upon the church diffuseth itself to all the members 
thereof; and the good of Jerusalem, with peace upon Israel, 
is all the good we can desire to see upon earth. Here- 
after we shall see greater things than these. Jehovah 
from the heavenly Zion will bless us with the vision of his 
immortal glory; we shall see the good of the New Jerusa- 
lem, the wealth, beauty, and majesty of that holy city; we 
shall see the generations of the faithful walking in the light 
of it; with that everlasting peace and rest, which remain 
for the Israel of God. These are the blessings promised to 
Messiah, and to his seed, for evermore. 



584 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXIX. 



PSALM CXXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

In the former part of this Psalm, 1 — 4. the church declareth herself to have 
been often assailed and persecuted by her enemies, but as often rescued 
and preserved by Jehovah; in the latter part of it, 5 — 8. she predictetli 
the miserable end of all those who hate Zion. 

1. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, 
may Israel now say : 2. Many a time have they afflicted me 
from my youth : yet they have not prevailed against me. 

Affliction is nothing new to the people of God. Many a 
time have the righteous been under persecution, from the 
hour when Cain rose up against his brother Abel, to this 
day. Like the bush which Moses beheld in the desert, the 
church hath "burned with fire," but is not yet "consumed;" 
and for the same reason, because God is in the midst of 
her. # He who took our nature upon him, was also "afflicted 
from his youth," but his enemies " prevailed not finally 
against him." And it is observable, that what God spake, 
by his prophet Hosea, concerning Israel, — " When Israel 
was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of 
Egypt," is by St. Matthew applied to Christ, — " Joseph 
took the young child and his mother by night, and departed 
into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod : that it 
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, Out of 
Egypt have I called my son." — Matt. ii. 14. Hos. xi. 1. 
The truth is, that there subsisted between Christ and the 
church an union like that between the head and the members 
of the same body; they are therefore called by the same 
name, Israel; and what is said concerning one, frequently 
admitteth of an application to the other. He became like 
us by taking our nature, and we become like him by receiv- 
ing his grace. Our sufferings are accounted as his; and 
his righteousness spoken of as ours. 

3. The ploughers ploughed upon my back: they made long 

* Ecclesia jam inde ab initio in Abel, in Enoch, in Noe, in Abraham, 
in Lot, in iEgyptiaca servitute, in Moyse, et Prophetis, graves perpessa 
inimicos; dicit ilia quidem soepe a juventute se fuisse oppugnatam: nihilo 
tamen secius pervenisse ad senectutem, ac ne in senectute quidem opprimi 
posse. Victus enim qui saeviebat, vicit qui sufferebat. — Bossuet. 



DAY XXVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



585 



their furrows, 4. The Lord is righteous: he hath cut 
asunder the cords of the wicked. 

The former of these two verses expresseth a state of great 
affliction, the latter a deliverance from that state. The word 
N"lH, which signifies to dig, or cut the ground, and so, to 
plough, is also used simply for cutting, carving, or graving. 
See Exod. xxxv. 33. Jer. xvii. 1. Being here applied to the 
back of captives, and cords having been the instruments of 
it, in all reason it is to be understood of scourging, which 
cuts, and as it were, digs, and ploughs, and makes furrows 
in the flesh; and the longer the cords of the scourges are, 
the longer are the wounds and furrows. For our sakes, he 
who knew no sin, "gave his back to the smiters," Isa. 1. 6. 
and permitted those " ploughers to make long their furrows 
upon it." But "the righteous Lord cut asunder the cords of 
the wicked;" vengeance overtook the wretched instruments 
of his sufferings; and the persecutors of his servants shall 
perish in like manner, as the Psalmist proceedeth to assure 
us in the verses following. 

5. Let them all, or, they all shall be confounded and turmed 
back that hate Zion. 

Since the ways of God are equal, the destruction which 
hath lighted on former persecutors of the church affordeth 
an assurance, that all, in every age, who hate Zion, shall, 
at the day of final tribulation, if not before that day, feel 
the weight of his arm, who is the Saviour, the King, and 
the God of Zion. 

6. Let them, or, they shall be as the grass upon the house 
tops, which withereth afore it groweth up: Heb. is pulled up.* 
7. Wherewith the mower Jilleth not his hand: nor he that 
bindeth sheaves his bosom. 8. Neither do they which go by 
say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you : we bless you in 
the name of the Lord. 

The transient prosperity of mortal man is often, in sacred 
writ, compared to grass, the history of which is contained in 
these few words, It cometh up, and is cut down. But here 
the comparison is carried still farther. Not the common 
grass in the field, but " grass growing on the house tops," is 
selected to convey the idea of bad men; grass, which having 
no depth of earth, into which it may strike its roots, doth • 

* Mr. Harmer takes the idea of the Psalmist to be, " Which withereth 
before it unsheaths its ear." — Observ. xi. 463. 



586 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. cxxx. 



not await the hand of the gatherer, but " withereth" even 
" before it is plucked up." And then, so thin, so wretched, 
and so unprofitable is the crop, that none are employed to 
collect and carry it in ; none to whom passengers might 
address those acclamations and salutations, customary at 
such times, as " The Lord be with you, bless you," &c. 
— Ruth ii. 4. Thus, while the felicity of Zion's children is 
rooted and grounded in Christ, that of her enemies hath no 
foundation at all. While the church subsisteth from gene- 
ration to generation, the kingdoms and empires, that have 
persecuted her, fade and wither away of themselves. And 
at the general harvest of the world, when the righteous 
shall be carried by angels, with joyful acclamations, into the 
mansions prepared for them above, the wicked, unregarded 
by the heavenly reapers, and unblessed by all, shall become 
fuel for a fire that goeth not out; resembling, in this their 
sad end, likewise, that worthless grass, " which to-day is, 
and to-morrow is cast into the oven." 



PSALM CXXX. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is the sixth of those which are styled Penitential Psalms. It is 
calculated for the use of the church, or any member thereof ; and con- 
tained, 1, 2. a complaint of great distress; 3. a confession of man's 
sinfulness; 4 — 8. an act of faith in the divine mercy and the promised 
redemption. 

1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. 
2. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the 
voice of my supplication. 

From the depths of sin, and the misery occasioned by 
sin, the penitent, like another Jonas, entombed in the whale's 
belly, and surrounded by all the waves of the ocean, crieth 
unto God for help and salvation. Fervent prayer will find 
its way, through every obstruction, to the ears of him who 
sitteth upon his holy hill. And may not the bodies of the 
faithful, buried in the dust, be said to cry, out of the depths 
of the grave, for a joyful resurrection, according to the 
promise and the pattern of Christ, who, after three days, 
came forth from the heart of the earth, as Jonas did from 
the belly of the whale ? 



DAY XXVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



587 



3. If thou, Lord shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who 
shall stand? 

A reason is here urged, why God should spare and pardon 
the suppliant, namely, because, was he accurately to note the 
offences of the best men, and to produce them in judgment 
against the offender^, no man could stand in that judgment; 
but the whole race of Adam must continue to eternity under 
the dominion of sin and death ; which a gracious and merci- 
ful God would not permit to be the case. It is accordingly 
declared in the next verse, that measures had been taken to 
prevent so deplorable a catastrophe. 

4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be 
feared. 

True repentance is founded upon the sense of our own 
wretchedness, and faith in the divine mercy. Without the 
former, we should never seek for pardon and grace ; without 
the latter, we should despair of finding them. The Psalmist, 
therefore, having, in the three preceding verses, expressed 
the one, now maketh profession of the other. " There is 
forgiveness with thee ;" thou wilt not " mark iniquities, or 
leave us to the rigours of strict justice, but thou hast devised 
means that we perish not for ever : thou hast provided an 
atonement, and, in virtue of that atonement, the sinner may 
obtain pardon ; he need not, therefore, reject thy service 
and cast himself away in despair, but is encouraged to serve 
thee acceptably through faith, with godly fear ; " there is 
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." Or the 
meaning may be, Thou forgivest man, that so, being restored 
to thy favour, and endued with thy grace, he may thence- 
forth fear, or serve thee, as it becomes one, who hath obtained 
mercy, to do. 

5. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word 
do I hope. 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they 
that watch for the morning : I say, more than they that watch 
for the morning. 

The repetitions here do beautifully express that ardent 
desire which the contrite soul hath for the salvation of God. 
Dr. Hammond seemeth to have given the true construction of 
ver. 6. s T\vh *tt>£2 " My soul to the Lord, that is, riseth, cometh, 
or hasteneth to the Lord, "lpl7 D^DttJE from the morning 
watchers, that is, from the time when they hasten to their 
watches ; in other words, the guards every morning that 



588 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxxx. 



hasten to their watches, are not earlier than I am in my 
daily addresses to God. Who these watchers or guards of 
the morning are, the Chaldee hath best expressed : — They 
that observe the morning watches, that they may offer their 
morning oblation ; that is, the priests which in their turns 
officiated ; or rather, some officers of theirs, which were 
peculiarly appointed from a tower to expect the first appear- 
ance of break of day." With such earnestness did the an- 
cient church expect the appearance of that day spring from 
on high, which was, in the fulness of time, to visit the world. 
With equal earnestness have the faithful since looked out 
for the dawning of that last morning, which is to abolish 
sin and put an end to sorrow. 

7. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there 
is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 8. And he 
shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities, or, sin. 

These verses are perfectly evangelical. The church of 
Israel was exhorted to " hope" in Jehovah, because with 
him there was "mercy, and plenteous redemption." And 
of what nature was that redemption ? A redemption from 
sin ; " he shall redeem Israel from all his sins ; consequent- 
ly, from all trouble and misery, which are but the effects of 
sin, and will cease when their cause shall be finally taken 
away. Now what is this but the gospel itself? Or where 
is the difference between this of the Psalmist, " he shall re- 
deem Israel from all his sins," and that of the Evangelist, 
" Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people 
from their sins!" — Matt. i. 21. The Israel of God, or, 
church universal, "hoping" in the same " mercy," and the 
same " plenteous redemption," expecteth the full accom- 
plishment of this gracious promise, at the second advent 
of her Saviour, when the penalty of sin shall be taken off, 
and death be swallowed up in victory. 



DAY XXVII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



589 



PSALM CXXXI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. a description of true humility, and resignation 
to the will of God, with, 3. an exhortation to the practice thereof. It 
is, most probably, a Psalm of David, and is eminently applicable to 
Messiah, in his state of humiliation on earth. Happy would it be for 
the world, if all his disciples could imbibe the spirit of this short but 
lovely Psalm, and copy after the example which it setteth before them. 

1. Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty : 
neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too 
high for me. 

Pride beginneth in the " heart," and discovereth itself in 
the " eyes," the countenance, and the carriage; thinking 
nothing "too high for it," it is always aiming at still " greater 
matters," scheming to be at the top of earthly grandeur ; 
and when there, restless, because it can go no farther. Of 
this disposition the Son of David, like his father and repre- 
sentative of old, was by his enemies affirmed to be ; he was 
accused of affecting the sovereignty, and therefore hunted 
and persecuted even to the death. But how truly do these 
words of the Psalmist delineate his real character ! He was 
not "haughty," but " meek and lowly in heart;" his " eyes" 
were not "lofty," but kindly regarded the meanest object 
that presented itself to them ; he looked not to " great 
matters," and " high things," but chose to be, and to be 
esteemed, the least and lowest of all. 

2. Surely I have behaved, or, subdued and quieted myself, 
as a child that is weaned of his mother : my soul is even as a 
weaned child. 

A child newly weaned mourneth because of the favourite 
aliment which is withdrawn from him ; but depending abso- 
lutely on the mother for every thing, learneth to acquiesce 
in her treatment of him, and quietly to accept what it shall 
please her to give. Such was the humble resignation of the 
Lamb of God to the will of his heavenly Father, under the 
severest dispensations, when even the divine presence, and 
that support which it afforded, seemed to have been with- 
drawn. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" 
Who then can expect to enter into the kingdom of heaven, 
" except he be converted, and become as a little child ? " — 
Matt, xviii. 3. 



590 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXXII. 



3. Let Israel hope in the Lord fromhenceforthand for ever. 

After the example, therefore, of the King of Israel, who 
thus demeaned himself in his afflictions, lowly, contented, 
and resigned, casting all his care upon the Father who cared 
for him, and patiently waiting his time for deliverance and 
salvation ; after this their example and pattern, let his faith- 
ful people hope and trust, not in themselves, their wisdom, 
or their power, but in Jehovah alone, who will not fail to 
exalt them, as he hath already exalted their Redeemer, if 
they do but follow his steps. 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXXXII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is one of the proper Psalms, which the church hath appointed to be 
used on Christmas day. It containeth, 1 — 5. a petition, that Jehovah 
would be mindful of the zeal shown by his servant David, in preparing 
a place for his habitation; 6. the exultation of the faithful upon hearing 
the glad tidings, that God would dwell among them; and, 7. their re- 
solution to worship at the place which he had chosen for that purpose ; 
8 — 10. an address to Jehovah, used by Solomon at the dedication of the 
temple, whence some have thought him to have been the author of the 
Psalm; 11 — 18. the substance of God's promises made to David and 
to his seed. The whole Psalm is perfectly well adapted to the festival 
of the incarnation, as the following comment will, it is hoped, abun- 
dantly demonstrate. 

1. Lord remember David, and all his afflictions. 

Israel beseecheth Jehovah to be mindful of those sorrows 
and sufferings, which had been undergone by his servant 
David, ere he attained to the throne, and established the 
ancient church in the beauty of holiness. That God would 
" remember" the far greater " afflictions" sustained for our 
sake by Messiah in the days of his humiliation, when through 
much tribulation he accomplished our redemption, and en- 
tered in his glory, is the petition preferred, in these words, 
by us Christians. 

2. How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty 
God of Jacob ; 3. Surely I will not come into the tabernacle 
of my house, nor go up into my bed ; 4. I will ?iot give sleep 
to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, 5. Until I find out 



DAY XXVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 591 

• 

a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of 
Jacob. 

In all circumstances and situations, David was solicitous 
for the tabernacle and service of God. Of the oath and 
vow here mentioned we have, indeed, no account in the 
sacred history; but we read, 2 Sam. vii. 2. of the uneasiness 
which he expresseth to Nathan the prophet, at the thought 
of his dwelling in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God 
dwelt only within the curtains of a tent. Nay, we find by 
1 Chron. xvi. 43. that he did not bless, and, consequently 
did not inhabit his own house, until he had brought the ark 
to Zion, where the temple was afterward erected. He could 
take neither pleasure nor rest, until a place was prepared for 
the residence of Jehovah in the midst of his people ; and 
from thenceforth he gave himself, with unwearied diligence, 
to lay in a plentiful store of the most costly materials, silver, 
gold, and precious stones, which were employed by his son 
and successor, Solomon, in constructing the magnificent and 
mystic edifice. Thus, in the covenant of grace, did the son 
of God engage not to take possession of his heavenly palace, 
nor to enter into his eternal rest, until he had prepared upon 
the earth a place for the residence of the Lord : a building- 
framed of materials more precious than gold and silver, 
more bright and beautiful than rubies, emeralds, and dia- 
monds. All this was planned and executed by one and the 
same person, who first suffered in meekness and patience 
like David, then reigned in glory and peace, like Solomon. 
The believer should spare no pains, no time, no thought, to 
find out and prepare in his heart an habitation for the God 
of Jacob, since our Lord hath graciously vouchsafed to make 
this general promise to us all, "If a man love me, my Father 
will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our 
abode with him." — John xiv. 23. 

6. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah : we found it in the 
fields of the wood. 

In other words, as Bishop Patrick hath paraphrased this 
verse, — "And now, behold, the Lord himself, to our great joy, 
hath told us the very place where he will fix his habitation, 
1 Chron. xxi. 18, 26. in the territory of Bethlehem Ephrata,* 

* Jerusalem, as Mr. Merrick observes from Geierus, being situated not 
far from Bethlehem, might be comprehended in the region of Ephrata ; or 
nms«n may be rendered " near Ephrata." 



592 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXXII. 



Gen. xxv. 13, 19. in the fields of that forest, where the 
angel stood, and directed David to build an altar to the 
Lord." — 1 Chron. xxi. 18. xxii. 1. Bethlehem Ephrata 
was the city of David ; it was likewise the city wherein the 
Son of David was born, as the prophet Micah had foretold. 
" And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the 
least among the cities of Judah, for out of thee shall come 
a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." — Micah v. 2. 
cited by the chief priests and scribes to Herod, Matt. ii. 6. 
Christians, as well as Jews, may therefore say, and upon the 
festival of Christ's nativity, using this Psalm, they do say, 
"Lo we heard of it at Ephrata;" for there the angel first 
proclaimed the news of the incarnation to the shepherds : 
" Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which 
shall be to all people ; for unto you is born this day, in the 
city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord." — Luke 
ii. 10. There was " found" the true tabernacle and temple, 
" not made with hands, the place for Jehovah, the habitation 
for the mighty God of Jacob." 

7. We will go into his tabernacles : we will worship at his 
footstool. 

If this were the resolution of Israelites, who saw the in- 
carnation only in type and figure, how much more ought it 
to be ours, who live since the accomplishment of that which 
was foreshown ; since the Word, made flesh, hath dwelt 
upon the earth, and the church hath been erected among the 
nations ? If they worshipped the God of Israel, who then 
dwelt in the Holy of Holies between the cherubim, shall not 
we worship the same divine person, who, though ascended 
up on high above all heavens, yet hath assured us, that 
where two or three are gathered together in his name, there 
is he in the midst of them ? 

8. Arise, O Lord, unto thy rest, thou, and the ark of thy 
strength. 

When the ark marched before the children of Israel to 
find out a resting place, it is recorded, Numb. x. 36. that 
Moses said, " Rise up, Jehovah, and let thine enemies be 
scattered, and let them that hate thee, flee before thee. And 
when it rested, he said, Return, or bring back the many 
thousands of Israel." The verse before us was used, with 
the two succeeding verses, by Solomon, as the conclusion of 
his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 2 Chron. vi. 41. 



DAY XXVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



593 



The purport of the petition, therefore, was, that the pre- 
sence of Jehovah might rest upon Zion, and dwell in the 
house prepared for it, as the same presence hath since dwelt 
in Christ, and is to be with the Christian church to the 
end of the world. 

9. Let thy priests be clothed with i^ighteousness : and let 
thy saints shout for joy. 

The ark being placed in the temple, prayer is next made 
for the ministers of religion, that they might, through grace, 
be invested with righteousness as with a garment, and be 
both covered and adorned with a robe of inviolable sanctity ; 
that spiritual joy might fill their hearts, and break forth in 
songs of praise to the Lord God of Israel. Let not those, 
who have obtained the evangelical priesthood, be exceeded, 
by the Sons of Levi, in holiness and alacrity. 

10. For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face 
of thine anointed. 

Solomon beseecheth God for the sake of his favourite 
servant David, and the promises made to him and his seed, 
that he would not deny the request of David's son, now 
" anointed " to be the king over Israel, and, by so doing, con- 
found, put him to shame, or "turn away his face." That 
this is the meaning of the phrase, is plain from 1 Kings ii. 
16. where Adonijah says to Bathsheba, "And now I ask 
one petition of thee, deny me not ;" in the Hebrew, " turn 
not away my face." A Christian asketh nothing but in the 
name, and for the sake of the Son of David, Jesus Christ 
our Lord, in whom all the promises are yea and Amen, and 
in whom whosoever belie veth shall never be confounded, or 
denied that which it is really good and profitable for him to 
receive. 

11. The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David ; he will 
not turn from it ; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon 
thy throne. 

That this is a prophecy of Messiah, we have the autho- 
rity of St. Peter to say, Actsii. 30. — "David, being a pro- 
phet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, 
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would 
raise up Christ to sit on his throne," &c. This promise to 
David occurs, 2 Sam. vii. 12. and hath a twofold sense, 
relating to Solomon in type and shadow, to Christ in truth 
and substance. — See more on Ps. lxxxix. 3, 4. 

2 Q 



594 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXXIT. 



12. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testi- 
mony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit 
upon thy throne for evermore. 

The promises of God to Christ are absolute ; but to his 
"children," as well as those of David, they are conditional, 
so that our interest in them dependeth on our faith, our obe- 
dience, our perseverance. "Behold," saith St. Paul, "the 
goodness and severity of God : on them which fell, severity ; 
but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in that good- 
ness; otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off." — Rom. xi. 22. 

13. For the Lord hath chosen Zion : he hath desired it for 
his habitation. 14. This is my rest for ever : here will I 
dwell ; for I have desired it. 

How ineffable is the love of God to man, that he should 
use such expressions as these concerning his church ! He is 
pleased to say, that it is his desire to dwell with us ; yet 
how little do we desire to dwell with him ! In Zion he 
fixed his abode, and there continued, till the iniquities of 
Israel provoked him to forsake his holy mountain, and to 
give up Jerusalem for a prey to the spoilers. Since that 
time, his tabernacle has been removed into the possession of 
the Gentiles. Forsake not this thy new Zion, O God, and 
deliver not us thy people, in like manner, sinful as we are, 
into the hands of the enemy and the avenger. 

15. / will abundantly bless her provision ; I will satisfy 
her poor with bread. 16. I will also clothe her priests with 
salvation ; and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. 

That city, in which the King of heaven deigns to place 
his throne, can want no manner of thing that is good. There 
will be always plenty of provision for the body and for the 
soul. The poor will be satisfied with bread, and to the poor 
in spirit will be given the bread of eternal life. Salvation 
will God appoint for a wall and a bulwark around the priests 
and the temple ; joy and gladness shall be heard within, 
thanksgiving and the voice of melody. What a dreadful 
reverse of all this do we behold in the present state of the 
once glorious, but now desolated Jerusalem ! Let not any 
Christian church, after what has happened to that city, be 
high minded, but let all fear. 

17. There will I make the horn of David to bud : I have 
ordained a lamp for mine anointed. 

Bishop Patrick hath well paraphrased this verse. — "There 



DAY XXVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



595 



namely, in Jerusalem, will I make the regal power and ma- 
jesty of David to put forth itself afresh in his royal succes- 
sors : no sooner shall one be extinguished, but another shall 
shine in such splendour, as shall give a lustre to the name of 
that anointed servant of mine, till the great Prince, the Mes- 
siah, appear:" then will the horn of salvation be raised up 
in the house of David, to subdue the empires of the world, 
and to vanquish all opposition ; then shall the branch of Je- 
hovah bud into beauty and glory upon the earth ; then shall 
the lamp of Israel become a sun of righteousness, burning 
and shining with lustre inextinguishable, to all eternity. 
That this verse doth mystically refer to Christ, the Jews con- 
fess, as Dr. Hammond has observed. So saith R. Saadiah, 
— "The lamp is the King, which illuminates the nations 
and Kimchi, — "The horn of David, is the Messias." 

18. His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon him- 
self shall his crown flourish. 

It is here predicted, that God would blast and bring to 
nothing every design formed to destroy the house of David, 
until King Messiah should arise out of it, to sit upon the 
throne of his Father. In him all the promises centre, and 
the kingdom is established for ever. "His enemies," who 
will not have him to reign over them, shall, at the last day, 
be "clothed with shame," and everlasting confusion ; "but 
upon himself shall his crown flourish," filling heaven and 
earth with the brightness of its glory. 



PSALM CXXXIII. 

A 11 G UM EXT. 

This short but pleasing Psalm was composed either to recommend unity 
among the tribes of Israel, or to celebrate it when it had taken place. 
Bishop Patrick justly observes, that " it was as fitly used by the first 
Christians, to express their joy for the blessed union of Jews and Gen- 
tiles ; and may now serve the uses of all Christian societies, whose hap- 
piness lies in holy peace and concord." It containeth, 1. a rapturous 
exclamation on the comforts and advantages of union, which, 2,3. are 
illustrated by the two exquisite similitudes of the holy anointing oil, 
and of dew. 

2. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, for brethren 
to dwell together in unity! 

2q 2 



596 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXXXIII. 

Many things are good, which are not pleasant; and many 
pleasant which are not good. But unity among brethren, 
whether civil or religious, is productive both of profit and 
pleasure. Of profit, because therein consisteth the welfare 
and security of every society ; of pleasure, because mutual 
love is the source of delight, and the happiness of one be- 
comes, in that case, the happiness of all. It is unity alone, 
which gives beauty, as well as strength, to the state ; which 
renders the church, at the same time, " fair as the moon, 
and terrible as any army with banners." — Cant. vi. 10. 

2. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran 
down upon the beard, even Aaron s beard : that went down to 
the skirts of his garments ; 3. As the dew of Herman,* and 
as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion : for 
there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

" Unity, beginning in the prince, and diffused through 
the people, is here illustrated," saith Dr. Delany, "by 
two images, the most apt and beautiful that ever were ima- 
gined. Kingdoms are considered as bodies politic, of which 
the king is the head, and the people, in their several ranks 
and orders, the parts and members. A spirit of union be- 
ginning upon the prince, whose person is sacred, is like oil 
poured upon the head of Aaron, which naturally descends 
and spreads itself over all the parts of the body, and diffuses 
beauty and fragrance over the whole, reaching even to the 
skirts of the garment. Oil is, without question, the finest 
emblem of union that ever was conceived. It is a substance 
consisting of very small parts, which yet, by their mutual 
adhesion, constitute one uniform, well united, and useful 
body. The sacred oil carries the idea and the advantage of 
union yet farther; which, being extracted from various spices, 
yet made up one well cohering and more valuable compound. 
The next image carries the exhortation to union, and the 
advantages of it still higher. Hermon was the general name 
of one mountain comprehending many lesser and lower hills, 
under the surround of a greater. Union in any nation is the 
gift of God ; and therefore unity among brethren, beginning 

* Bishop Lowth seemeth fully to have justified our translators in supply- 
ing the ellipsis as they have done, and thereby removing the absurdity of 
making the dew of Hermon, a mountain on one side of Jordan, toward 
the eastern extremity of Canaan, descend on the mountain of Zion, which 
was situated on the other side of Jordan, at Jerusalem. 



DAY XXVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



597 



from the king, is like the dew of heaven, which, falling first 
upon the higher summit of Hermon, (refreshing and enrich- 
ing wherever it falls,) naturally descends to Zion, a lower ; 
and thence even to the humble valleys. Zion was the centre 
of union to all the tribes : there God himself had promised 
his people rest, and peace from their enemies ; which, how- 
ever, were of little value without union and harmony among 
themselves. " # Thus far this learned and pious author, 
whose explanation of the Psalmist's imagery, as descriptive 
of civil unity in the state, is so just and elegant, that I could 
not forbear transcribing the passage at length. It only re- 
mains to be added, that these divine pictures receive an 
additional beauty, and the colouring is much heightened, by 
their being viewed in another light, as representations of 
spiritual unity in the church. The Spirit of heavenly love 
was that oil of gladness which Jehovah poured without 
measure on him who is the High Priest and head of his 
church. Insinuating and healing, comforting and exhilirat- 
ing, it is diffused from him over his body mystical, even 
down to the least and lowest members ; " of his fulness have 
we all received ; " and, as it is said of Mary's box of spike- 
nard, in the gospel, " the house is filled with the odour of 
the ointment." Nor did the dew of heaven, in time of 
drought, ever prove more refreshing and beneficial to the 
mountains of Judah, than are the influences of grace, when 
descending in soft silence from above upon the church ; in 
the union and communion of which, God hath "commanded 
the blessing, even life for evermore." O come the day, 
when division shall cease, and enmity be done away ; when 
the tribes of the spiritual Israel shall be united in a bond of 
eternal charity, under the true David, in the Jerusalem 
which is above ; and saints and angels shall sing this lovely 
Psalm together ! 

* Life of King David, vol. iii. p. 204. 



598 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXXXIV, 



PSALM CXXXIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

With this Psalm, Christians in the church, like the Levites of old in the 
temple, 1, 2. call upon each other to bless God, and 3. upon God to 
bless them all. 

1 . Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye serva?its of the Lord, 
which by night stand in the house of the Lord. 2. Lift up 
your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. 

The first word in this verse, " Behold," seemeth to point 
at the reasons which the priests in the temple had to bless 
Jehovah ; as if it had been said, Behold, the house of God 
is built, the holy services are appointed, and the Lord hath 
given you rest from your enemies, that you may serve him 
acceptably ; set about it, therefore, with gratitude and ala- 
crity. We read, 1 Chron. ix. 33. that the Levitical singers 
were " employed in their work day and night; " to the end, 
doubtless, that the earthly sanctuary might bear some resem- 
blance of that above, where St. John tells us, the redeemed 
"are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in 
his temple." — Rev. vii. 15. Christians are the redeemed of 
the Lord, redeemed from the guilt and dominion of sin, de- 
livered out of the hands of their enemies, the world, the flesh, 
and the devil, that they may become the servants of Christ. 
He hath built his church, and in it he wills that men pray, 
lifting up holy hands, and that they offer the sacrifices of 
thanksgiving. " Behold," therefore, " bless the Lord Jesus, 
all ye servants of his;" bless him in the cheerful and busy 
hours of day ; bless him in the solemn and peaceful watches 
of the night ; making melody, even then, in your hearts, at 
least, if not with your voices. The pious Mr. Nicholas 
Fairer exhibited, in the last century, an instance of a pro- 
testant family, in which a constant course of psalmody was 
appointed, and so strictly kept up, that, through the whole 
four-and-twenty hours of day and night, there was no portion 
of time, when some of the members were not employed in 
performing that most pleasant part of duty and devotion. 
The reader may see the curions life of this extraordinary 
person, as drawn up by Dr. Turner, Bishop of Ely, in the 
Christian Magazine, vol. ii. p. 356. 



DAY XXVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



599 



3. The Lord that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of 
Zion. 

The two preceding verses, as Mr. Mudge observes, seem 
directed to the priests of the temple, by some person, pro- 
bably of consequence, come up to pay his devotions. This 
third verse is therefore returned, as from the priests. And 
thus it is, that prayer and praise, which by grace are caused 
to ascend from our hearts to God, will certainly return in 
the benedictions of heaven upon our souls and bodies, our 
persons and our families, our church and our country ; like 
the vapours, which, exhaled by the warmth of the sun from 
the bowels of the earth, mount upwards into the air ; but 
soon fall again in fruitful showers, causing the little hills 
to rejoice, and the valleys to laugh and sing. 



PSALM CXXXV. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm I, 2. the servants of Jehovah are exhorted to praise him, 
3. on account of his goodness ; of the pleasure to be found in the em- 
ployment ; 4. of his peculiar mercies shown to Israel ; 5. of his infinite 
superiority over the gods of the nations, manifested, 6, 7. in the works 
of creation, 8 — 14. in his dealings with the church, and with her adver- 
saries. 15 — 18. The folly of idolatry, and of those who practise it, is 
described ; and, 19 — 21. Israel is again stirred up to praise Jehovah. 

1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord : 
praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. 2. Ye that stand in 
the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, 
3. Praise the Lord ; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto 
his name : for it is pleasant. 

All the servants of God, they, more especially, who 
minister in the temple, are repeatedly, as in the foregoing 
Psalm, excited to praise their blessed Master. Two reasons 
are assigned why they should do this. First, the goodness 
of that Master, and, secondly, the pleasantness of the employ- 
ment. The latter of these reasons hath a natural and neces- 
sary dependence on the former. A sense of the divine mercy 
will tune our hearts and voices to praise. We, who are 
upon earth, often find ourselves indisposed for the duty of 
thanksgiving, because the concerns of the body, the cares 
and pleasures of life, extinguish, for a time, this sense in us, 



600 



A COMMENTARY [PS. CXXXV. 



until grace, prayer, and meditation, render it again lively and 
active. In the inhabitants of heaven, who behold God 
without the veil of matter interposed, it is always so ; and, 
therefore, they rest not day or night from singing halle- 
lujahs, nor cease one moment to rejoice in God their Saviour. 

4. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and 
Israel for his peculiar treasure. 5. For I know that the 
Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 

A third reason why the children of Israel should praise 
the name of Jehovah was, the circumstance of their having 
been selected from among the nations to be his church, to 
receive the law and the promises, to have his presence re- 
siding in the midst of them, and to be the guardians of the 
true faith and worship. And a fourth reason was, the supe- 
riority of Jehovah their God over the gods of the heathen, 
and, consequently, over those who worshipped them ; from 
whence followed this comfortable inference, that he was 
able to protect and to defend his people against every enemy 
that had evil will at Zion. Shall not we Christians, then, 
praise the same gracious Lord, who hath chosen us out of the 
world, who hath given unto us his gospel, who dwelleth in 
us by his Spirit, and who, by that Spirit, maketh us more 
than conquerors over our spiritual adversaries ? 

6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, 
and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. 

The pre-eminence of Jehovah above the gods of the 
nations is evinced by this consideration, that he, at the be- 
ginning, created and formed those powers of nature, whose 
operations in the heavens, the earth, and the waters, led the 
heathen world, after it had lost the knowledge of the 
Creator, to adore the creature as independent. Let us 
praise him, who, in the intellectual, as in the material 
world, is Lord and King ; who is obeyed by the angels in 
heaven, served by the church upon earth, and feared by the 
spirits imprisoned in deep places beneath. 

7. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the 
earth ; he maketh lightnings for the rain ; he bringeth the 
wind out of his treasuries. 

They who in old time paid their devotion to the elements, 
imagined those elements to be capable of giving or withhold- 
ing rain at pleasure. Therefore we find the prophet Jeremiah 
reclaiming that power to Jehovah, as the God who made 



DAY XXVIII. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



601 



and governed the world. " Are there any among the vani- 
ties of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens 
give showers? Art not thou he, O Jehovah our God? 
Therefore we will wait upon thee : for thou hast made all 
these things. " — Jer. xiv. 22. Among the Greeks and Romans 
we meet with a Jupiter possessed of the thunder and the 
lightning, and an iEolus ruling over the winds. The Psalmist 
teacheth us to restore the celestial artillery to its rightful 
owner. Jehovah, the God of Israel, and Creator of the 
universe, contrived the wonderful machinery of light and 
air, by which vapours are raised from the earth, compacted 
into clouds, and distilled in rain. At his command the winds 
are suddenly in motion, and as suddenly at rest again ; we 
hear the sound, but cannot tell whence they come, or whither 
they go ; as if they were taken from secret storehouses of the 
Almighty, and then laid up, till their service was required 
again. The same idea God himself is pleased to give us, 
in the book of Job, where he describeth the instruments of 
his power, as so many weapons of war in the arsenal of a 
mighty prince. " Hast thou entered into the treasures of 
the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, 
which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against 
the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, 
which scattereth the east wind upon the earth ? Who hath 
divided a water course for the overflowing of waters ? or a 
way for the lightning of thunder, to cause it to rain on the 
earth? — Job xxxviii. 22, &c. It is a great instance of the 
divine wisdom and goodness, that lightning should be ac- 
companied by rain, to soften its rage, and prevent its mis- 
chievous effects. Thus, in the midst of judgment, does God 
remember mercy. The threatenings in his word against 
sinners are like lightning ; they would blast and scorch us 
up, were it not for his promises made in the same word to 
penitents, which, as a gracious rain, turn aside their fury, 
refreshing and comforting our affrighted spirits. 

8. Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and 
beast. 9. Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of 
thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants. 

Egypt was the theatre of the grand contest between the 
God of Israel, and the gods of the heathen. The superiority 
of the former over the latter was shown in every possible 
way by the miracles of Moses, which demonstrated all the 



602 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. XXXV. 



powers of nature to be under the dominion of Jehovah, and 
to act at his command, so that, instead of being able to 
protect, they were made to torment and destroy their de- 
luded votaries. — See more on Ps. lxxviii. 44, &c. The 
objects of a man's sin frequently become, in the end, the 
instruments of his punishment. 

10. Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings ; 
11. Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, 
and all the kingdoms of Canaan : 12. And gave their land 
for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people. 

The victories gained by Israel over Sihon and Og, in their 
passage to Canaan, and afterward over the idolatrous kings 
of that country, are more proofs of the same point. For 
Israel therefore conquered, because Jehovah fought for them, 
and put them in possession of that good land, when the ini- 
quity of its old inhabitants was full, and cried to heaven for 
vengeance. The enemies we have to encounter in our way 
to the promised inheritance, will also, if vigorously opposed, 
fall before us. — "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, 
and the violent take it by force." But it is God who fighteth 
for us, and with us, who giveth us the victory, and putteth 
us in possession, through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

13. Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever ; and thy me- 
morial, O Lord, throughout all generations. 14. For the 
Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself con- 
cerning his servants. 

By the destruction of Pharaoh, with his Egyptians, and 
by the battles and victories of Joshua ; much more, by the 
overthrow of the spiritual Pharaoh, with his infernal host, 
and by the battles and victories of the true Joshua, Jehovah 
hath gotten him glory, and his name is magnified in the 
church, from age to age. The people, whom he hath re- 
deemed, may, indeed, for the chastisement of their iniquities, 
be sometimes delivered into the hands of their enemies, and 
oppressed by them. But it is only to show them their trans- 
gressions, and lead them to repentance. When this effect 
is wrought, he is always ready to "judge them," to plead 
and avenge their cause; he "repenteth him" of the evil, 
and averteth it ; he is intreated for the land, and becometh 
gracious to his servants. 

15. The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work 
of men s hands. 16. They have ??wuths, but they speak not ; 



DA Y XXVIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



603 



eyes have they, but they see not. 17. They have ears, but 
they hear not ; neither is there any breath in their mouths. 
1 8. They that make them are like unto them : so is every 
one that trust eth in them. 

In these verses is set forth the difference between the God 
of Israel, and the idols of the nations, as also between the 
worshippers of each ; all tending to confirm the truth of 
what was asserted, ver. 5. — "I know that the Lord is great, 
and that our Lord is above all gods." As the same words 
occur, Ps. cxv. 4, &c. the reader is referred thither for the 
explication of them. 

19. Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O 
house of Aaron: 20. Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that 
fear the Lord, bless the Lord. 21. Blessed be the Lord out 
of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord. 

He who proved himself superior to the objects of ancient 
idolatry, is no less superior to every object on which deluded 
man can place his affections. The Lord gave, and the Lord 
will take them away. Let "the house of Israel," therefore, 
and the " sons of Aaron," the church and the ministers 
thereof, let all who "fear the Lord," bless and praise his 
holy name in the temple here below, until they shall be 
admitted to do it for evermore, in that which is above. 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXXXVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is a delightful hymn of Praise and thanksgiving to Jehovah, 1 — 3. 
God of gods, and Lord of lords, for the wonders, 4 — 9. of Creation, 10 
— 26. of Providence and Grace ; which were probably celebrated in due 
order by one half of the choir, while the other half, or, perhaps, the 
whole in full chorus, took up the burden of each verse, " For his mercy 
endureth for ever !" A form of acknowledgment, as Bishop Patrick ob- 
serves, prescribed by David, 1 Chron. xvi. 41. to be used continually 
in the divine service. A form highly proper for creatures, and sinful 
creatures, to use, whose great employment it is now, and will be for 
ever, to magnify the mercy and loving-kindness of their God. 

1. O give thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good: for his 
mercy endureth for ever. 2. O give thanks unto the God of 



604 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. CXXXVI. 



gods : for his mercy endure th for ever. 3. O give thanks 
to the Lord of lords : for his mercy endureth for ever. 

We are called upon to praise Jehovah, first, for his own 
essential attributes ; then, for the exertion of those attributes 
in his works. The attributes here mentioned are those of 
" goodness " and " power ; " the one renders him willing, the 
other, able to save : and what can we desire more, but that 
he should continue to be so ? Of this likewise we are as- 
sured by contemplating the unchangeableness of his nature. 
His disposition altereth not, and his kingdom none can take 
from him : " his mercy endureth for ever." 

4. To him who alone doeth great wonders : for his mercy 
endureth for ever. 

All the works of God are "wonderful," and speak him 
" alone " to have been their author. The established course 
of the world is in reality no less admirable, than are those 
extraordinary interpositions of omnipotence, whereby it hath 
been sometimes interrupted and suspended : though the 
latter, on account of their novelty, are apt to affect us more 
than the former doth, which is ever before our eyes, and 
therefore less regarded by us. How many of those for 
whom the wonders of Creation, Providence, and Redemp- 
tion, have been wrought, think none of them worthy, their 
attention ! Angels admire and adore, where man will not 
deign to cast an eye, or employ a thought. 

5. To him that by wisdom made the heavens : for his mercy 
endureth for ever. 6. To him that stretched out the earth 
above the waters : for his mercy endureth for ever. 

The heavens above, and the earth beneath, declare the 
wisdom of their great Maker, and proclaim aloud, to an 
intelligent ear, the divinity of the hand that formed them. 
The heavens display the love of God to man; the earth 
teaches the duty of man to God. Heaven is glorious and 
gracious, earth verdant and fruitful. The bright and ample 
circumference of heaven, the variegated surface of the earth, 
and the profusion of good things that distinguish the seasons, 
contaminated as they all have been by man's transgression, 
even now yield a prospect which annihilates all human 
randeur. What idea, then, are we to frame of those new 
eavens and earth, from which sin and corruption are ex- 
cluded, and where righteousness hath fixed her eternal 
throne ? 



BAY XXVIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



605 



7. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth 
for ever: 8. The sun to rule by day : for his mercy endureth 
for ever. 9. The moon and stars to rule by night : for his 
mercy endureth for ever. 

Light is the life and soul of the universe, the noblest em- 
blem of the power and glory of God, who in the night season, 
leaves not himself without witness, but gives us some portion 
of that light reflected, which by day we behold flowing from 
its great fountain in the heart of heaven. Thy church and 
thy saints, O Lord, "are the moon and the stars," which, 
by the communication of doctrine, and the splendour of 
example, guide our feet, while we travel on in the night that 
hath overtaken us, waiting for the dawn of everlasting day. 
Then we shall behold thy glory, and see thee as thou art. 

10. To him that smote Egypt in their first-born : for his 
mercy endureth for ever : 11. And brought out Israel from 
among them : for his mercy endureth for ever : 12. With a 
strong hand, and with a stretched out arm : for his mercy en- 
dureth for ever. 13. To him which divided the Red Sea 
into parts : for his mercy endureth for ever : 14. And made 
Israel to pass through the midst of it : for his mercy endur- 
eth for ever : 15. But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in 
the Red Sea : for his mercy endureth for ever. 16. To him 
which led his people through the wilderness : for his mercy 
endureth for ever. 17. To him which smote great kings: for 
his mercy endureth for ever : 1 8. And slew famous kings : for 
his mercy endureth for ever : 19. Sihon king of the Amorites: 
for his mercy endureth for ever : 20. And Og the king of 
Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever: 21. And gave 
their land for an heritage : for his mercy endureth for ever: 
22. Even an heritage unto Israel his servant : for his mercy 
endureth for ever. 23. Who remembered us in our low 
estate : for his mercy endureth for ever. 24. And hath re- 
deemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. 

From the works of creation the Psalmist proceeds to those 
of providence and grace. He celebrates that mercy which 
rescued Israel from oppression, brought them out of the house 
of bondage, divided the sea to make a way for them, sup- 
ported and conducted them through a waste, howling wil- 
derness, crushed the might and power of those who opposed 
them, and at length settled them in the inheritance promised 
to their fathers. Eternal mercy hath, in Christ Jesus, real- 



006 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXXXVIT. 

ized all these figures, and accomplished the great redemp- 
tion, thus foreshadowed of old. The Israel of God hath 
been rescued from the oppression of Satan, and brought 
out of the house of spiritual bondage. In the waters of 
baptism the old man of sin is buried, and we arise triumph- 
ant, to sing the praises of God our Saviour, who from thence- 
forth supports and conducts us in our passage through the 
world, strengthening us in the day of battle against every 
enemy that opposeth us, until we enter the heavenly Canaan, 
promised to the fathers of our faith, and dwell for ever in 
the possession of peace. When we consider how God has 
thus "remembered us in our low estate," and thus "re- 
deemed us from our enemies," can we be weary of repeating, 
" For his mercy endure th for ever ? " 

25. Who giveth food to all flesh : for his mercy endureth 
for ever. 26. O give thanks unto the God of heaven : for 
his mercy endureth for ever. 

The same bounty, which, in the natural world, provideth 
proper nutriment for every creature, hath also provided, for 
the spirits of all flesh, the bread of eternal life. In either 
sense, Jehovah "openeth his hand, and filleth all things 
living with plenteousness." Be therefore his praise as uni- 
versal and lasting as his mercy. 



PSALM CXXXVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Israelites, captives in Babylon, 1, 2. describe their woful estate, and, 
3, 4. the insults of their cruel masters. 5, 6. They declare their invio- 
lable affection for Jerusalem; 7. pray that God would remember the 
behaviour of Edom ; and, 8, 9. predict the destruction of Babylon. 
The Psalm admits of a beautiful and useful application to the state of 
Christians in this world, and their expected deliverance out of it. 

1. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we 
wept, when we remembered Zion. 

What an inexpressible pathos is there in these few words ! 
How do they at once transport us to Babylon, and place 
before our eyes the mournful situation of the Israelitish cap- 
tives ! Driven from their native country, stripped of every 
comfort and convenience, in a strange land, among idolaters, 
wearied and broken-hearted, they sit in silence by those hos- 



DAY XXVfll. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



607 



tile waters. Then the pleasant banks of Jordan present 
themselves to their imaginations ; the towers of Salem rise 
to view ; and the sad remembrance of much-loved Zion 
causes tears to run down their cheeks ; " By the waters of 
Babylon we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered 
Zion!" Besides the use which may be made of this Psalm 
by any church, when, literally, in a state of captivity, there 
is a sense in which it may be used by us all. For Zion is, 
in scripture, the standing type of heaven, as Babylon is the 
grand figure of the world, the seat of confusion, the op- 
pressor and persecutor of the people of God. In these, 
or the like terms, we may, therefore, suppose a sinner to 
bemoan himself upon the earth — O Lord, I am an Israelite, 
exiled by my sins from thy holy city, and left to mourn in 
this Babylon, the land of my captivity. Here I dwell in 
sorrow, by these transient waters, musing on the restless and 
unstable nature of earthly pleasures, which pass swiftly by 
me, and are soon gone for ever. Yet for these, alas, I have 
exchanged the permanent joys of Zion, and parted with the 
felicity of the chosen. Wherefore my heart is pained within 
me, and the remembrance of my folly will not let me rest 
night or day. O Zion, thou holy and beautiful city, the 
temple of the Lamb, the habitation of the blessed, the seat 
of delight, the land of the living, when shall I behold thee ? 
When shall I enter thy gates with thanksgiving, and thy 
courts with praise ? The hope of a return to thee is my 
only comfort in this vale of tears, where I am and will be a 
mourner till my captivity be brought back, and my sorrow 
be turned into joy. 

2. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst 
thereof. 

The additional circumstance, which the divine painter 
hath here thrown into his piece, is, to the last degree, just 
and striking. It was not enough to represent the Hebrew 
captives weeping on the banks of the Euphrates, at the 
remembrance of Zion, but, upon looking up, we behold their 
harps unstrung, and pendent on the willows that grew there. 
The sincere penitent, like them, hath bidden adieu to mirth ; 
his soul refuseth to be comforted with the comforts of Baby- 
lon ; nor can he sing any more, till pardon and restoration 
shall have enabled him to sing, in the temple, a song of 
praise and thanksgiving. 



608 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. C XXXVI I. 



3. For there they that carried us away captive required of 
us a song ; and they that wasted us, required of us mirth, 
saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4. How shall we 
sing the Lord's song in a strange land?* 

The Babylonians are introduced as exulting over the 
Israelites, and scoffing at their faith and worship, not with- 
out a tacit reflection on their God, who could not protect 
his favoured people against their enemies. " Now sing us 
one of your songs of Zion ; now let us hear you sound the 
praises of that God, of whom ye boasted, that he dwelt among 
you in the temple, which we have laid waste, and burnt 
with fire." Thus the faithful have been, and thus they will 
be, insulted by infidels, in the day of their calamity. And 
" how," indeed, " can they sing the Lord's song in a strange 
land? " How can they tune their voices to festive and eucha- 
ristic strains, when God, by punishing them for their sins, 
calleth to mourning and weeping ? But then, Israel in Ba- 
bylon foresaw a day of redemption ; and so doth the church 
in the world ; a day, when she shall triumph, and her ene- 
mies shall lick the dust. No circumstances, therefore, should 
make us forget her, and the promises concerning her. 

5. If I for get thee, O Jerusalem, let my light hand forget 
her cunning. 6. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue 
cleave to the roof of my mouth ; if I prefer not Jerusalem 
above my chief joy. 

The whole nation may be supposed, in these words, to de- 
clare, as one man, that neither the afflictions nor the al- 
lurements of Babylon should efface from their minds the 
remembrance of Jerusalem, or prevent their looking forward 
to her future glorious restoration. If any temptation should 
induce them to employ their tongues and hands in the service of 
Babel rather than in that of Zion, they wish to lose the use 
of the former, and the skill of the latter. The thoughts and 
affections of true penitents, both in prosperity and adversity, 
are fixed upon their heavenly country and city ; they had 
rather be deprived of their powers and faculties, than of the 

* Many singers were carried captives, Ezra ii. 41. These would of course 
take their instruments with them, and be insulted, as here. Their songs 
were sacred, and unfit to be sung before idolaters. But the words, " How 
shall we sing," &c. are not an answer given to them, but the free utter- 
ance afterward of the feelings of the Jews among themselves. — Anony- 
mous Notes in Merrick's Annotations. 



DAY XXVIII. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



609 



will to use them aright; and the hope of glory, hereafter 
to be revealed in the church, is the flower and crown of 
their joy. 

7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day 
of Jerusalem ; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the founda- 
tions thereof 

The people of God beseech him to take their cause in 
hand, and to avenge them on their adversaries, particularly 
on the Edomites, who, though their brethren according to 
the flesh, being descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob, 
yet in the day of Jerusalem's affliction, when the Chaldeans 
came against it, were aiding and encouraging those pagans 
to destroy it utterly. Edom is charged with this unnatural 
behaviour, and threatened for it, by God himself, in the pro- 
phecy of Obadiah, ver. 10, &c. — "For thy violence against 
thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be 
cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other 
side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his 
forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots 
upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou 
shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in 
the day that he became a stranger : neither shouldest thou 
have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their 
destruction — For the day of the Lord is near upon all the 
heathen : as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee, thy 
reward shall return upon thine own head — but upon Mount 
Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness, and the 
house of Jacob shall possess their possessions." It may be 
observed, that the Jews afterward acted the same part toward 
the Christian church, which the Edomites had acted toward 
them, encouraging and stirring up the Gentiles to persecute 
and destroy it from off the face of the earth. And God 
" remembered" them for the Christian's sakes, as they 
prayed him to "remember Edom" for their sakes. Learn 
we hence, what a crime it is, for Christians to assist the 
common enemy, or call in the common enemy to assist them, 
against their brethren. 

8. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy 
shall he be, that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us. 
9. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones 
against the stones. 

The subject of these two verses is the same with that of 

2 R 



610 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. C XXX Villi 



many chapters in Isaiah and Jeremiah ; namely, the ven- 
geance of heaven executed upon Babylon by Cyras, raised 
up to be king of the Medes and Persians, united under him 
for that purpose. The meaning of the words, "happy shall 
he be," is, He shall go on and prosper, for the Lord of hosts 
shall go with him, and fight his battles against the enemy 
and oppressor of his people, empowering him to recompense 
upon the Chaldeans the works of their hands, and to reward 
them as they served Israel. The slaughter of the very in- 
fants, mentioned in the last verse, is expressly predicted by 
Isaiah, ch. xiii. 16. — " Their children also shall be dashed 
to pieces before their eyes ; their houses shall be spoiled, 
and their wives ravished." The destruction was to be uni- 
versal, sparing neither sex nor age. Terrible, but just, are 
thy judgments, O Lord ! The fall of the mystical "Babylon" 
is described, Rev. xviii. in terms and phrases borrowed from 
this and other prophecies, relating, primarily, to the ancient 
city called by that name. Whoever will carefully read over 
the chapter referred to, with the three subsequent ones, con- 
cerning the triumph of Messiah, and the glory of the New 
Jerusalem, will be able to form proper ideas of the world 
and the church, and will know where to choose his portion. 



PSALM CXXXVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth, 1 — 3. a resolution to praise God for a deliverance 
vouchsafed ; 4, 5. a prophecy, that the kings of the earth should glorify 
Jehovah for his mercy, shown, 6. in exalting the humble, and abasing 
the proud ; 7, 8. an act of faith and confidence in God. 

1. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the 
gods will I sing praise unto thee. 2. / will worship toward 
thy holy temple, and praise thy name, for thy loving-kindness 
and for thy truth : for thou hast magnified thy word above 
all thy name; or, thou hast magnified thy name, even thy 
word, above all. 

In these verses we evidently hear the voice of one whom 
God had delivered from a state of great affliction and danger, 
and who therefore determines to make the due acknowledg- 
ments in public ; to give thanks "before the gods," that is, 



DA Y XXVIII. E. P.] ON THE PSAIMS. 



611 



before "kings" and "rulers," in the great congregation ; to 
"worship in the temple," and there to set forth the "loving- 
kindness" and "truth" of Jehovah, in having accomplished 
the promised salvation, and thereby "magnified" his holy 
"name," and his faithful "word," over every thing that 
opposeth itself against it. The Christian church cannot 
find stronger and more emphatical terms, in which to express 
her sense of the greatest of all mercies, the redemption of 
the world by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and 
his exaltation "above every name that is named in heaven 
and earth." 

3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and 
strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. 4. All the kings 
of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the 
words of thy mouth, 5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of 
the Lord : for great is the glory of the Lord. 

From this part of the Psalm, it appears to be a prophetical 
one. The deliverance which it celebrates is of such a nature, 
that when the glad tidings of it should be published to the 
world, we are told, it should induce the nations, with their 
princes, to adore Jehovah, to walk in his ways, and to 
chant forth his praises. The call of the Gentiles to the 
gospel, is here foretold in words which cannot be mistaken; 
and the redemption of the church, in Christ her head, is 
spoken of as the subject of thanksgiving among the kings of 
the earth. " In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me, 
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." For 
this reason, "All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, 
O Lord," &c. 

6. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the 
lowly : but the proud he knoweth afar off. 

Humility is the way to salvation and glory. It is said of 
our blessed Lord, that "because he humbled himself, there- 
fore God -highly exalted him :" and the great potentates of 
the world must tread in his steps, if they would be exalted 
with him. As to the proud, God "knoweth" and he de- 
testeththem; he beholdethand keepeth them at a "distance." 

7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive 
me : thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of 
mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 

Who doth not "walk in the midst of trouble," while his 
pilgrimage is prolonged upon the earth ? Who hath not 

2n2 



612 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXXVIII. 



" enemies" encompassing him on every side ? O how com- 
fortable, then, the reflection that he is with us, who can 
"revive" the dead; that we are under the protection of an 
"arm " which is almighty ! Yes, blessed Lord, we believe 
that this saying of thy holy Psalmist will be verified to every 
child of thine, even as it was to him, and to thy Son Jesus, 
in whose person he might speak it, as a prophet. Great, 
indeed, were the "troubles," in the midst of which the true 
David "walked" up and down amongst us. He carried all 
our sorrows, because he bare all our sins. "Yet didst thou 
revive him;" thou didst raise him from the dead, and exalt 
him to thy throne in heaven, where he ever liveth to make 
intercession for us, that we, who, in the days of our flesh, 
do also "walk in the midst of trouble," may be revived by 
thy Spirit, the giver of life and holiness. 

8. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me : thy 
mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever : forsake not the works of 
thine own hands. 

In troublesome times, and the days of affliction, we must 
look back on that which God hath already done for us, and 
from thence draw an argument, that he will " perfect" that 
which remains, and not leave his work unfinished ; we must 
remember, that his mercies fail not, after a time, but "endure 
for ever" the same; and when we call to mind, that we are 
" the work of his own hands," how can we think he will 
"forsake us," unless we utterly and finally forsake him? 



DAY XXIX. M. P.] OX THE PSALMS. 



613 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXXXIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

It seems evident, from the latter part of this noble and instructive Psalm, 
that the author penned it, at a time when he was persecuted and calum- 
niated, as an appeal to the all-seeing Judge between him and his adver- 
saries. He takes the opportunity of expatiating, in the sublimest man- 
ner, 1 — 12. on the omnipresence and omniscience of him, who, 13 — 16. 
formeth man in the womb by his power, and, 17, 18. preserveth him 
through life by his providence. He then, 19, 20. expresseth his confi- 
dence, that God, as knowing all things, would deliver him from his ene- 
mies; 21,22. he declareth his zeal and fidelity in the service of his 
divine Master, by whom, 23,24. he petitioneth to be proved, purified, 
and perfected in the way of holiness. 

1. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2. Thou 
knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou under standest 
my thought afar off. 3. Thou compassest my path and my 
lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4. For 
there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest 
it altogether, or, When there is not a word in my tongue, lo, 
O Lord, 8$c. 5. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and 
laid thine hand upon me. 6. Such knowledge is too wonder- 
ful for me ; it is high, L cannot attain unto it. 
' The Psalmist employed a beautiful variety of expressions 
to denote his faith in the omnipresence and omniscience of 
Jehovah, to whom, in the latter part of the Psalm, he ap- 
pealeth, as the proper judge between him and his implacable 
enemies. He describeth his God as having that complete 
knowledge of him and his affairs, which, among men, the 
most accurate "search" and the strictest scrutiny could not 
obtain; as being thoroughly "acquainted with all his ways," 
or proceedings, nay, with his very "thoughts," while yet 
existing only in embryo, in his own mind ; as watching and 
observing him at all seasons, during the actions of the day, 
and his repose at night ; and, in short, as having so " beset" 
him on all sides, and " laid his hand upon him," that he could 
not move without his knowledge and consent. When we 
reflect, that "all things are thus naked and open to him with 
whom we have to do;" that, although he dwelleth in the 



614 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXXXIX. 



highest heavens, he surveyeth not only the outward acts, but 
the very hearts and imaginations of men upon earth — must 
we not each of us cry out, " Such knowledge is too wonder- 
ful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it;" I cannot 
admire it enough, for I cannot conceive of it aright ! — 4 'The 
actual, constant consideration of God's presence would be 
the readiest way in the world to make sin to cease from 
among the children of men, and for men to approach to the 
blessed estate of the saints in heaven, who cannot sin, for 
they always walk in the presence, and behold the face of 
God."— See Bishop Taylor's " Holy Living," ch. i. sect. 3. 

7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall 
I flee from thy presence ? 8. If I ascend up into heaven, 
thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, or, the grave, behold 
thou art there. 9. If / take the wings of the morning, and 
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea : 10. Even there shall 
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 1 1. If 
I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me ; even the night 
shall be light about me. 12. Yea, the darkness hideth not 
from thee ; but the night shineth as the day : the darkness 
and the light are both alike to thee. 

We can never sin with security, but in a place where the 
eye of God cannot behold us. And where is that place ? 
Had we a mind to escape his inspection, " whither should 
we go ?" Heaven is the seat of his glory, creation the scene 
of his providence, and the grave itself will be the theatre of 
his power ; so that our efforts will be equally vain, whether 
we ascend, or descend, or fly abroad upon the wings of the 
morning light, which diffuseth itself with such velocity over 
the globe, from east to west. The arm of the Almighty will 
still at pleasure prevent, and be ready to arrest the fugitives 
in their progress. Darkness may, indeed, conceal us and 
our deeds from the sight of men ; but the divine presence, 
like that of the sun, turns night into day, and makes all things 
manifest before God. The same consideration which should 
restrain us from sin, should also encourage us to work 
righteousness, and comfort us under all our sorrows ; namely, 
the thought that we are never out of the sight and protection 
of our Maker. The piety and the charity which are prac- 
tised in cottages ; the labour and the pain which are patiently 
endured in the field, and on the bed of sickness ; the misery 
and torment inflicted by persecution in the mines, the 



DAY XXIX. M. P.J ON THE PSALMS. 



615 



gallies, and the dungeons ; all are under the inspection of 
Jehovah, and are noted down by him against the day of 
recompense. He sees, and he will reward all we do, and all 
we suffer, as becometh Christians. He who, for our sakes, 
caused his Son to descend from heaven to the lower parts of 
the earth, and from thence to ascend to heaven again, will 
watch over, preserve, and re-assemble the parts of our bodies, 
though dissolved in the grave, buried in the ocean, or dis- 
persed to the four winds. So that, with allusion to this event 
also, a dying servant of God may exclaim, Whither can I go 
from thy Spirit ? Or whither can I flee from thy presence ? 
If, as to my spiritual part, I ascend into heaven, thou art 
there, to receive me ; if, as touching my body, I make my 
bed in THNttt, or the grave, behold, thou art there, to secure 
me. If I take the wings of the wind, or those yet more 
expeditious ones of the morning, and am carried by them to 
dwell in the midst of the sea, instead of the bowels of the 
earth ; still shall I be under thy power and providence ; 
even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall 
hold me fast, preserving me for a joyful resurrection at the 
time appointed. 

13. For thou hast possessed, or, formed my reins : thou 
hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14. / will praise 
thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous 
are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 

That God seeth in darkness, and that from him nothing 
is hidden, his knowledge of, and power over, our most in- 
ward parts, do plainly show. He "formed," and he there- 
fore "possesseth," as his own property, our "reins," and is 
consequently privy to all those affections and desires which 
flow from thence. It was he who "covered" us in the 
womb, or, as it is elsewhere expressed, Job x. 2. who 
"clothed us with skin and flesh, and fenced us with bones 
and sinews." A work so astonishing, that before the 
Psalmist proceeds in his description of it, he cannot help 
breaking forth in rapture at the thought; — "I will praise 
thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made !" 
" Obstupeo, et memet laeta formidine lustro, 

Divini monumentum opens!" Lowth. 

With awful joy I view this frame of mine, 

Stupendous monument of power divine ! 

15. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made 



616 



A COMMENTARY 



[ps. cxxxix. 



m secret, and curiously wrought, or, variegated, like needle 
work, in the lowest parts of the earth. 16- Thine eyes did 
see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my 
members were written, which in continuance were fashioned* 
when as yet there was none of them. 

By the "lower parts of the earth" is undoubtedly to be 
understood the "womb," where the foetus is gradually formed 
and matured for the birth, like plants and flowers under 
ground. The process is compared to that in a piece of work 
wrought with a needle, or fashioned in the loom ; which, 
with all its beautiful variety of colour, and proportion of 
figure, ariseth by degrees to perfection under the hand of the 
artist, framed according to a pattern lying before him, from 
a rude mass of silk, or other materials. Thus, by the wisdom 
and power of God, and after a plan delineated in his book, 
is a shapeless mass wrought up into the most curious texture 
of nerves, veins, arteries, bones, muscles, membranes, and 
skin, most skilfully interwoven and connected with each 
other, until it becometh a body harmoniously diversified with 
all the limbs and lineaments of a man, not one of which at 
first appeared, any more than the figures were to be seen in 
the ball of silk. But then, (which is the chief thing here 
insisted on by the Psalmist,) whereas the human artificer 
must have the clearest light whereby to accomplish his task, 
the divine Work-master seeth in secret, and effecteth all his 
wonders within the dark and narrow confines of the womb. 
The reformation of our corrupted and dissolved bodies, 
which is to be wrought, at the last day, in the womb of the 
earth, in order to their new birth, will crown all the works 
of the Almighty. 

17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto, or, concerning 
me, O God ! How great is the sum of them ! 18. If / should 
count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I 
awake, I am still with thee. 

From the wonders of God's forming hand, the Psalmist 
proceeds to those of his all-directing providence, which afford 
additional proofs of the divine omniscience and omnipresence. 
The "thoughts" and counsels of Jehovah concerning David, 
his appointment to the throne, his troubles, and his preser- 
vation in the midst of them, were " precious" and delight- 
ful subjects of meditation and praise, never to be exhausted 
of the rich matter they contained. With these in his mind, 



DAY XXIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



617 



he lay down at night to rest, and, "when he awoke" in the 
morning, his thoughts naturally recurred to the pleasing 
theme ; he began where he had left off, and found himself, 
in heart and soul, "still present with God," still ruminating 
on him and his works. The mercies of heaven in the redemp- 
tion of the church, by the sufferings and exaltation of the 
true David, according to the divine decree concerning him 
—How precious are they to believers ! How great is the sum. 
how far exceeding all human arithmetic to number them ! 
Let them be to us the constant subjects of contemplation, 
admiration, and thanksgiving, day and night ; and let death, 
that last sleep, find us engaged in an employment, which, 
when we awake, and arise from the grave, we shall resume, 
and prosecute to eternity, in the presence of God. 

1 9. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: or, Wilt thou 
not slay the wicked, O God? depart from me therefore, ye 
blood-thirsty men. 20. For they speak against thee wickedly, 
and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 

David now draws the intended conclusion from the pre- 
mises, so largely expatiated upon in the former part of the 
Psalm. As if he had said- — And wilt thou not, O God, thou 
who art every where present, seeing and knowing all things : 
thou to whom the justice of my cause, and the iniquity of 
mine adversaries, are equally open; thou who hast formed, 
and hitherto in so wonderful a manner, watched over, and 
preserved thy servant; "wilt thou not slay the wicked," 
and deliver me, as thou hast promised to do, out of their 
hands ? I know thou wilt ; " depart from me therefore, ye 
blood-thirsty men ;" I trust in my God, and will have no 
connexion, in the way of treaty or friendship, with you. 
You are not my enemies, but those of Jehovah, against 
whom, not considering that he is privy to all your words, 
and even to your thoughts, you "speak" presumptuously 
and "wickedly," and whose "name" you "take in vain," 
no less when you do evil under a godly pretence, and call 
him to witness the truth of your lies and calumnies, than 
when you openly blaspheme him. Such seemeth to be the 
full import of these two verses ; and their application to 
the members of the church, when at any time in similar 
circumstances, is obvious. 

21. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not 



618 



A COMMENTARY [PS. CXXXIX. 



/ grieved with those that rise up against thee ? 22. / hate 
them with 'perfect hatred : I count them mine enemies. 

A faithful servant hath the same interests, the same 
friends, the same enemies, with his master, whose cause and 
honour, he is, upon all occasions, in duty bound to support 
and maintain. , A good man hates, as God himself doth ; 
he hates not the persons of men, but their sins ; not what 
God made them, but what they have made themselves. 
We are neither to hate the men, on account of the vices 
they practise ; nor to love the vices, for the sake of the men 
who practise them. He who observeth invariably this dis- 
tinction, fulfilleth the perfect law of charity, and hath the 
love of God and of his neighbour abiding in him. 

23. Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and 
know my thoughts : 24. And see if there be any wicked way 
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

In the first verse of the Psalm, David declared, that 
Jehovah had " searched him out, and known him ; " he con- 
cludes with a petition, that his proceedings, and even his 
thoughts, might be still scrutinized by his Maker, in order 
to their perfect purification from any evil which might be in 
them, or adhere to them. Should the hottest furnace of 
adversity be found necessary to purge the dross from the 
silver, he refuseth not to be dissolved in it, and new formed, 
so that he might only become a vessel of honour, fitted for 
the Master's use here below, and vouchsafed a place after- 
ward in his temple above. " See if there be any wicked 
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." 



DAY XXIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



619 



PSALM CXL. 

ARGUMENT. 

This Psalm containeth, 1 — 8. a prayer for deliverance from persecutors 
and calumniators, their violence and their wiles; 9 — 11. a prophecy of 
their final destruction, and, 12, 13. the salvation of the afflicted righte- 
ous. It was composed by David in his troubles, and is applicable to 
Christ and the church, respectively, in theirs. 

1 . Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man : preserve me 
from the violent man ; 2. Which imagine mischiefs in their 
heart ; continually are they gathered together for war. 

" Evil and violent men" exist in all ages, to harass and 
oppress the servants of God ; their thoughts are employed in 
"imagining mischief" against such, and their hands are 
ready at all times for the " war." Had we no enemies with- 
out, there are those within, who are ever fighting and trou- 
bling us. We cannot put off our Christian armour for a 
moment in this world, nor enter into peace and rest, but by 
a happy death, and a joyful resurrection. Then God will 
"deliver" us, as he delivered David, and our blessed Lord 
and Master, the Son of David, from their respective enemies. 

3. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; 
adders' poison is under their lips. 

Slander and calumny must always precede and accom- 
pany persecution, because malice itself cannot excite people 
against a good man, as such ; to do this, he must first be 
represented as a bad man. What can be said of those, who 
are busied in this manner, but that they are a " generation 
of vipers," the brood of the old " Serpent," that grand ac- 
cuser and calumniator of the brethren, having under their 
tongues a bag of " poison," conveying instant death to the 
reputation on which they fasten. Thus David was hunted 
as a rebel, Christ was crucified as a blasphemer, and the 
primitive Christians were tortured as guilty of incest and 
murder. 

4. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked : pre- 
serve me from the violent men, who have purposed to over- 
throw my goings. 5. The proud have hid a snare for me, 
and cords ; they have spread a net by the way side ; they 
have set gins for me. 



620 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXL. 



David here describeth the subtilty and industry employed 
by his enemies to effect his destruction, by lying in wait for 
him, as a skilful fowler doth for his game, so that they thought 
it impossible he should escape their hands. Such was the 
conduct of the Jews, with regard to the Son of David. And, 
O how refined the policy, how unwearied the application of 
our spiritual adversaries, to " overthrow our goings" in the 
path of life and salvation, to circumvent and to destroy us 
for ever! How are "the snares, the nets, and the gins," 
placed for us, by that cunning and experienced artist, who 
takes care that nothing should appear in view, but the allur- 
ing baits of honour, pleasure, and profit, while of the toils 
we have no notice, till we find ourselves entangled and 
caught in them ! Who shall preserve us thus walking in 
the midst of dangers? He to whom David, in the following 
verses, preferreth his prayer, and teacheth us to do likewise. 

6. / said unto the Lord, Thou art my God : hear the voice 
of my supplications, O Lord. 7. O God the Lord, the 
strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day 
of battle. 8. Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked : 
further not his wicked device ; lest they exalt themselves. 

Jehovah, the God of David, is also our God, and he is 
always ready to hear our supplications. He is our strength, 
and hath often covered our head with the helmet of salva- 
tion, in the day of battle, and open war with our spiritual 
enemies. Nor will he, for the glory of his name, grant their 
desires, or permit their more secret " devices " and machina- 
tions to work the destruction of his people ; lest they exalt 
themselves, as having frustrated his counsels for the re- 
demption of his servants. 

9. As for the head of those that compass me about, the mis- 
chief of their own lips shall cover them. 10. Burning coals 
shall fall upon them; they shall be cast into the fire, into deep 
pits, that they rise not up again. 1 1 . An evil speaker shall 
not be established in the earth ; evil shall hunt the violent 
man to overthrow him. 

The prophet in these three verses, predicted those just 
judgments, which heaven will inflict on the slanderers and 
persecutors of the righteous. Their lips, which uttered mis- 
chief against others, shall be the means of covering them- 
selves with confusion, when out of their own mouths they 
shall be judged. Those tongues which have contributed 



DAY XXIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



621 



to set the world on fire, shall be tormented with the hot 
burning coals of eternal vengeance : and they, who, with 
so much eagerness and diligence, have prepared pits for 
the destruction of their brethren, shall be cast into a 
deep and bottomless pit, out of which they will not rise 
up again any more for ever. Evil speakers and false 
accusers shall gain no lasting establishment, but punish- 
ment shall hunt sin through all its doubles, and seize it 
at last as its legal prey. Let these great truths be firmly 
rooted in our hearts, and they will keep us steady in the 
worst of times. 

12. / know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the 
afflicted, and the right of the poor. 13. Surely the righteous 
shall give thanks unto thy name : the upright shall dwell in 
thy presence. 

That unjust and oppressive men shall, in the end, suffer 
proportionably to their deserts, we are assured from this con- 
sideration, namely, that the Almighty is the patron of the 
injured and oppressed. He will plead the cause of the meek 
and lowly, who are used by the world, as their blessed 
Master was used before them. A day will come, when, 
delivered out of all their troubles, they shall " give thanks 
unto thy name," O Lord, and "dwell in thy presence" for 
evermore. 



PSALM CXLI. 

ARGUMENT. 

David seems to have composed this Psalm just before his flight to Achish 
king of Gath ; when he had a second time spared Saul's life, but could 
trust him no longer. — See 1 Sam. xxvi. and xxvii. 1. 1, 2. He prayeth 
earnestly for help, and entreateth to be heard, as when able to attend 
the service of the tabernacle ; 3 — 5. he petitioneth to be preserved from 
the snares of idolatry, in the country whither he was going ; 6, 7. he 
relateth his own conduct toward Saul, and that of Saul toward him ; 
8, 9. he professeth his faith in Jehovah, and redoubleth his prayer to 
him ; 10. he predicteth the destruction of his enemies, and his own de- 
liverance. Many parts of the exposition of this Psalm, given by the 
late learned Mr. Peters, in his Critical Dissertation on the Book of Job, 
have been adopted in the ensuing comment. 

1. Lord, I will cry unto thee, make haste unto me; give 
ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2. Let my prayer 



622 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXLI. 

be set forth before thee as incense ; and the lifting up of my 
hands as the evening sacrifice. 

The earnest and repeated supplication for help, in the 
first of these verses, sufficiently declares the Psalmist to have 
been, at the time, in a situation of the utmost distress. And 
the second verse as plainly showeth, that he was then at a 
distance from the tabernacle, where all the solemn prayers 
of the Israelites, together with their daily sacrifices, were 
offered up. And therefore, with his face, probably, directed 
thither, like Daniel in Babylon, praying toward Jerusalem, 
he begs that God would accept of all which it was in his 
power to perform, namely, 4;he devotion of his heart, and the 
elevation of his hands in prayer ; that the one might ascend 
to heaven, fragrant and well pleasing, as the cloud of " in- 
cense" mounting from the holy altar; and the other, in con- 
junction with it, prevail, instead of the " evening oblation," 
for the deliverance of himself and his companions. 

3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth ; keep the door 
of my lips: or, a guard over the door of my lips. 4. Incline 
not mine heart, i. e. suffer not my heart to be inclined, to any 
evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work ini- 
quity, or, idolatry ; and let me not eat of their dainties. 

David was now going to seek a retreat from the persecu- 
tions of his master Saul amidst a race of idolaters, who would 
be curious to observe all his words and actions, and would 
attempt to draw him in to be a partaker with them in their 
idol worship, or to suspect him as a spy and an enemy, if 
he refused to comply with them. He, therefore, beseeches 
God to "set a watch before his mouth, a guard over the door 
of his lips," that he might neither endanger his own safety by 
his imprudent carriage, nor violate his religion by any weak 
compliances. He entreats to be preserved from that greatest 
of all evils, the renouncing Jehovah, to follow vain and 
strange gods. He desires that he might not be guilty of 
this heinous and presumptuous sin, no, not so much as in 
thought — " Suffer not mine heart to be inclined to any evil 
thing;" that he might abhor to play the hypocrite, by joining 
in the abominations of the heathen, " the men that work 
idolatry," though but in show and appearance only ; and 
that he might never be allured by the pomp and pleasure of 
their feasts, by their luxurious meats, and lascivious rites, to 
mix in their religious festivals, to eat, and drink, and rise up 



DAY XXIX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



623 



to play — " neither let me eat of their dainties." A Christian, 
living among unbelievers and sensualists in the world, hath 
abundant reason to put up the same prayers, and to use the 
same precautions. 

5. Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and 
let him reprove me ; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall 
not break, or, depress my head : for yet my prayer also shall 
be in their calamities, or, against their wickedness, 

David continueth his prayer, and beggeth of heaven, as 
one of its best and choicest blessings, that if at any time, 
through the frailty of nature, he should be inclined to yield 
to the above-mentioned temptations, he might find, among 
his attendants, some "righteous" and faithful friend, who 
might, with a kind severity, check and "reprove" him. 
Such reproof, he says, would, at that season, be to him as 
WC\ Jtttt? the "chief," or most "precious and excellent 
oil ;" see Exod. xxx. 23. it would not "depress his head," 
MJfrO ^ 7N, or cause him to "hang it down," as people in 
sorrow do, but it would be "the oil of gladness," refreshing, 
enlivening, strengthening, and enabling him to lift up his 
head above the temptation, against which he had been pray- 
ing, and, with renewed vigour, would still continue to pray ; 
" for yet my prayer" shall be DiTnuni "against their 
wickednesses." The blessed effects of reproof, when given 
and taken as it ought to be, never, surely, were more 
exactly or more beautifully described. 

6. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they 
shall hear my words ; for they are sweet. 

Of this verse, as it stands in our translation, I know not 
what can be made. When literally rendered from the 
Hebrew, it runs thus — " Their judges have been dismissed 
in the sides of the rock, and have heard my words, that they 
were sweet." David, reflecting on Saul's cruelty, in driving 
him out of his country, to wander amongst aliens and idola- 
ters, very naturally calls to mind and mentions his own dif- 
ferent behaviour toward that implacable enemy, whose life 
he had spared at two several times, when he had it in his 
power to destroy him as he pleased. " Their judges, or 
princes, leaders, generals," &c. according to the frequent 
usage of the word in scripture, 1DDt&2 " have been dis- 
missed" (the common signification of the verb "in the 



624 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLI. 



sides of the rock," when I had them at an advantage there, 
1 Sam. xxiv. 3. " and have heard my words, that they were 
sweet;"* they only heard me expostulate with them in a man- 
ner so mild and humble, that even Saul himself was overcome, 
and "lift up his voice and wept, saying, My Son David thou 
art more righteous than I — The Lord reward thee good for that 
thou hast done unto me this day." — 1 Sam. xxiv. 16. Such 
hath been my conduct toward the servant of Saul. Yet how 
have my people, alas, been by them most miserably butchered ! 

7. Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when 
one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. 

This probably alludes to the bloody massacre of Ahimelec 
and the priests that were in Nob, who, to the number of 
eighty-five persons, all of a sacred character, and all innocent, 
were inhumanly slaughtered together by Doeg the Edomite. 
Such havoc as this might well be compared to the cutting 
and cleaving of wood, like the fragments of which, the bones 
of the sufferers lay scattered here and there upon the ground, 
as many of the bodies might be devoured, before pits were 
prepared, near the field of slaughter, for their interment. To 
feel the force of the Psalmist's expressions in this verse, we 
need not have recourse to such extraordinary scenes of 
tyranny and cruelty. The daily dissolution and destruction 
of our bodies, in the common way, will be found abundantly 
sufficient for the purpose. For who can attend the digging of a 
grave, and view the ruins then disclosed, without exclaiming, 
"Our bones lie scattered at the grave's mouth; as when one 
cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth?" Indeed, Rachel 
hath often had occasion to bemoan her children, thus untimely 
slain by the unrelenting sword of persecution. But let her 
refrain her voice from weeping, and her eyes from tears. Her 
children shall return again from the dead, and their bones shal 1 
rejoice and flourish as an herb. — Jer. xxxi. 1 5. Isa. lxvi. 14. 

8. But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord : in thee 
is my trust ; leave not my soul destitute. 9. Keep me from 
the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the 
workers of iniquities. 

The principle upon which David acted, and supported 

himself under his troubles, was a firm trust in God, and a 

* This is Mr. Peter's interpretation of the verse : and Dr. Durell hath 
fallen upon the same. 



DAY XXIX. E. P.] 



OX THE PSALMS. 



625 



steady resolution to obey him. With confidence, therefore, 
he made his prayer, that Jehovah would keep him from the 
snares which Saul and his counsellors had laid for him on 
one hand, and from those of the idolaters, among whom he 
was driven, on the other; that so he might not be left 
destitute, and lose his life, or, which he prized more, his 
faith. For, it is remarkable, that in his last speech to Saul, 
1 Sam. xxvi. 19. where he mentions the wicked policy of his 
enemies, who had contrived to force him into banishment, 
he mentions not the danger of his life, but only that of his 
religion- —* ( They have driven me out this day from abiding 
in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods;" 
intimating, that they had done what lay in their power to 
drive him to idolatry, by forcing him into a country, where 
he would have the strongest temptation to it. 

10. Let the ivicked, or, the wicked shall fall into their own 
nets together, whilst that I withal escape. 

From the sequel of the history we find, that the hope and 
assurance here expressed by the Psalmist were not vain. 
He escaped all the snares that were laid for him on every 
side; he lived to see the death of Saul, who fell in a battle 
with the Philistines, and those Philistines subdued by him- 
self and his subjects. So will the devices of all our ene- 
mies be in the end turned against themselves : they shall 
fall and perish, but we shall triumph, with our Redeemer, 
to eternity. 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. — EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXLII. 

AUG UMENT. 

The title of this Psalm informs us, that it was a prayer of David, when 
he was in the cave, that is, most probably, the cave of Adullam, whither 
he fled, when in danger both from Saul and from the Philistines. — 
1 Sam. xxii. I. It containeth, 1,2. a supplication; 3 — 5. an act of 
confidence in God at that season of danger and destitution ; 6. a tender 
complaint of his sufferings ; and, 7. a petition for deliverance. Our 
translators having rendered some of the verbs in the past tense, the li- 
berty hath been taken to alter them, agreeably to the Hebrew, and to 
the tenor of the Psalm, which seemeth to be an actual prayer, and not 
the relation of one. 

I. I will cry unto the Lord with my voice ; with my voice 
unto the Lord will I make my supplication. 2. I will pour 

2 s 



626 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLII. 



out my complaint before him; I will show before him my 
trouble. 

The state of David in the cave of Adullam was a state of 
utter destitution. Persecuted by his own countrymen, dis- 
missed by Achish, and not yet joined by his own relations, 
or any other attendants, he took refuge in the cave, and was 
there alone. But in that disconsolate, and seemingly despe- 
rate situation, he desponded not. He had a Friend in heaven, 
into whose bosom he " poured forth his complaint," and 
told him the sad story of his trouble and distress. When 
danger besetteth us around, and fear is on every side, let 
us follow the example of David, and that of a greater than 
David, who, when Jews and Gentiles conspired against him, 
and he was left all alone, in the garden, and on the cross, 
gave himself unto prayer. 

3. When my spirit is overwhelmed within me, then thou 
knowest my path. In the way wherein I walk, have they 
privily laid a snare for me. 

The meaning is, — Though my thoughts are so broken and 
confused, that I am not able to counsel and direct myself 
in these straits, yet thou knowest the path wherein I walk, 
thou art with me, and will preserve me from those who 
watch all my steps, and lie in ambush for me. Such should 
be at all times the confidence of believers in the wisdom, 
the power, and the goodness of God, even when human 
prudence has done its utmost, and is at its wit's end. 

4. / look on my right hand, and see that there is no 
man that will know me: refuge faileth me; no man caret h 
for my soul. 5. / cry unto thee, O Lord, I say, Thou art 
my refuge, and my portion in the land of the living. 

David beseecheth God to consider his destitute condition, 
to " look on his right hand," the place where the advocate 
used to stand, and to " see that there was no man that would 
know," acknowledge him, and take his part ; " refuge failed 
him ;" there was on earth no patron, to whom he could com- 
mit himself and his cause ; no one, tiTVn that would " seek, 
require, or avenge his soul." Thus Dr. Hammond expounds 
the words in a forensic sense. How affectingly do they de- 
scribe the destitution of David in the cave, and that of the 
Son of David in the day of his passion, death, and burial 1 
Death will, in like manner, strip us of all our earthly con- 
nexions and dependences. But even at that hour, may we, 



DAY XXIX. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



627 



each of us, " cry unto thee, O Lord, and say, Thou art my 
refuge and my portion in the land of the living !" 

6. Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low: deliver 
me from my 'persecutors ; for they are stronger than I. 
7. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: 
the righteous shall compass me about; for, or, when thou 
shalt deal bountifully with me. 

This prayer of David was heard and answered ; he was 
delivered from his persecutors, enlarged from his distress, 
exalted to the throne, and joined by ail the tribes of Israel. 
The true David was delivered from his stronger persecutors, 
brought from the sepulchre, exalted to his heavenly throne, 
owned and submitted to by the converted nations, who be- 
came the Israel and people of God. Nor let us fear, though 
we be brought very low, and our persecutors, the world, the 
flesh, and the devil, be at any time too strong for us. God 
will deliver us from the bondage of sin, and redeem us from 
the prison of the grave, to join the great assembly before the 
throne, and there to praise his name for ever. 



PSALM CXLIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

This is the seventh and last of the Penitential Psalms; and as we are not 
informed of any particular temporal calamities, which gave occasion to 
its being composed, we shall explain it according to the general use 
now made of it in the church, for which, indeed, it seems to have been 
originally and entirely designed. After the example of David, the peni- 
tent, 1. maketh his prayer to God for pardon; 2. acknowledgeth the 
impossibility of any man being saved, but by grace ; 3, 4. deploreth the 
lamentable effects of sin ; 5. comforteth himself with a retrospect of 
God's mercies of old ; and, 6 — 12. prayeth, in a variety of expressions, 
for remission of sin, sanctification, and redemption. 

1. Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications : 
in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 

When Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Christ with 
her tears, he knew what the petition was which her soul 
desired to have granted, and answered it, accordingly, before 
it was made in words, by saying, " Thy sins are forgiven 
thee." Thus the penitent, without mentioning the subject 
of his request, as being well known to God begs, that his 
" prayer and supplication may be heard and answered," 
agreeablvto the "faithfulness and righteousness of Jehovah." 

2 s2 



628 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLIII. 



2. And enter not into judgment with thy servant : for in 
thy sight shall no man living be justified. 

In the first verse, the suppliant appealed to the promises 
of God, and his fidelity in performing them. Here he ur- 
geth the fallen, sinful, wretched state of human nature, which 
hath rendered it absolutely impossible that any son of Adam 
can be saved, should God " enter into judgment with him," 
and exact the punishment due to his offences according to 
the law, instead of pardoning them by an act of grace. The 
thoughts of such a trial are enough to appal the soul of the 
best man living, to make his flesh tremble, and all his bones 
shake, as if he stood at the foot of Sinai, and beheld 
Jehovah ready to break forth upon him in the flame of 
devouring fire. 

3. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten 
my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in dark- 
ness, as those that have been long dead. 4. Therefore is my 
spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. 

We have an "enemy," who " persecutes" us with unre- 
lenting malice ; he "smites our life down to the ground," 
as often as we yield to temptation, and fall from our state 
of holiness, to grovel in base and earthly desires ; he " makes 
us to dwell in darkness," when he has thus withdrawn us 
from the light of heaven, which before illuminated us, while 
we walked in it; the spiritual life, for a time, is extinguished, 
and we become, for all the purposes of faith and charity, 
"like those that have been long dead. Therefore," at the 
consideration of this our sad estate, when God has enabled 
us to see and know it, our " spirit is overwhelmed within 
us," with remorse, anxiety, and despondency; and "our 
heart within us," deprived of the comforts of conscience, 
the joys of the Spirit, and the presence of the Beloved, "is 
desolate," forlorn, miserable. To rescue the sinner from 
this disconsolate and lost condition, our blessed Saviour was 
forsaken on the cross ; " his spirit was overwhelmed within 
him, and his heart within him was desolate : the enemy" 
was suffered to " smite his" precious " life down to the 
ground," and he " dwelt," for three days, " in darkness, as 
the men that have been long dead." 

5. / remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy 
works; I muse on the work of thy hands. 

When sin has thus laid us low, and, as it were, slain and 



DAY XXIX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



629 



entombed us, we begin to revive, and to arise from the dead, 
through hope of forgiveness and restoration to the divine 
favour, by " remembering the days of old, and meditating on 
all the works" of love and mercy, which Jehovah then 
wrought toward those who were sinners, like ourselves. 
While we "muse" on such instances of his goodness, the 
reflection is obvious, — Is he not still the same gracious God ? 
Will he not do as much for us, upon our repentance, as he 
hath formerly done for others, upon theirs ? " Let us arise, 
and go to our Father ! " 

6. / stretch forth my hands unto thee; my soul thirsteth 
after thee as a thirsty land. 

Prayer is the voice of faith. The sinner who views his 
situation, and believes, on having considered God's works of 
old, that he shall be delivered out of it, will soon " stretch 
forth his hands," in supplication to heaven. His soul will 
gasp and pant after that grace and mercy which descends 
from above, like the rains in its season, to bestow refresh- 
ment, beauty, and fertility, on a parched and " thirsty land." 
While we recite this verse, let us not be unmindful of Him, 
whose hands were often stretched forth in prayer for his 
people, and whose soul thirsted after our salvation, even then, 
when he felt the extremity of bodily thirst on the cross. 

7. Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth : hide 
not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down 
into the pit. 

These words would come with propriety from the mouth 
of one in danger of temporal death. They are no less proper 
in the mouth of him who is in danger of death eternal. 
Rather, they receive an additional force and energy, when 
used in this latter sense. 

8. Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; 
for in thee do I trust : cause me to know the way wherein I 
should walk; I lift up my soul unto thee. 

The penitent prayeth, that he may " hear the voice of 
God's loving-kindness," speaking pardon and peace to his 
soul, " in the morning," speedily and early, after the long 
dark night of fear and sorrow, through which he is passing. 
This he hopes, because, disclaiming all other reliance, he 
placeth his confidence in God alone ; " In thee do I trust." 
Nor is he only solicitous for the forgiveness of what is past, 
but for future direction in the course of duty ; " show thou 



630 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLILI. 



me the way wherein I should walk." And to the end that 
he may follow such directions, he hath withdrawn his affec- 
tions from things below, and set them on things above ; " I 
lift up my soul unto thee." 

9. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies : I flee unto 
thee to hide me. 10. Teach me to do thy will ; for thou art 
my God : thy spirit is good; lead me, or, let thy good Spirit 
lead me into the land of uprightness. 

He continueth to pray that he may be " delivered from 
his enemies," the world, the flesh, and the devil, from whose 
temptations he " fleeth," by repentance and faith, to the 
Almighty, to " hide" and protect him. He requesteth to be 
fully instructed in the " will" of him, whom, as his Lord and 
his "God," he hath determined to serve and obey. But 
conscious of his own inability to do the will of Jehovah, even 
when known, he entreateth the good Spirit of God to "lead" 
him out of the mazes of error, and the pollutions of vice, into 
the pleasant " land" of truth and holiness.* 

11. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy names sake: for thy 
righteousness 1 sake bring my soul out of trouble. 12. And 
of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that 
afflict my soul : for I am thy servant. 

The verbs in these two last verses, as Dr. Hammond hath 
noted, should be rendered in the future ; " Thou shalt 
quicken," &c, and then the Psalm will end, as usual, with 
an act of faith and assurance, that all those mercies, which 
have been asked, shall be obtained; that God, for the sake of 
his "name," and his "righteousness," of his glory, and his 
faithfulness in the performance of his promises, will not fail 
to be favourable and gracious to his servants, " quickening" 
them, even when dead in trespasses and sins, and bringing 
them, by degrees, "out of all their troubles;" going forthwith 
them, to the battle against their spiritual " enemies," and 
enabling them to vanquish the authors of their " affliction" 
and misery, to mortify the flesh, and to overcome the world ; 
that so they may triumph with their Redeemer, in the day 
when he shall likewise quicken their mortal bodies, and put 
all enemies under their feet. 

* Mr. Merrick mentions the similar phrase of irediov aXrideiag, and Xet/xwr 
aXrjdeiag, among the Greeks. Or iirn pK may signify, " the land that 
is plain' and direct, even and straight," where he might pursue his intend- 
ed course of piety and goodness, without fear of meeting with obstructions 
in the way, or danger of wandering out of it. 



DAY XXX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



631 



THIRTIETH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXLIV. 

ARGUMENT. 

It appears, from verse 2. and verse 10. of this Psalm, that it was com- 
posed after David's accession to the throne. And it is evident, from 
verse 5, &c. that he had more enemies still to conquer, such as the Phi- 
listines, &c. He therefore, 1, 2. blesseth Jehovah, and, 3, 4, expresseth 
his astonishment at the divine goodness shown to such a creature as man. 
5 — 8. He beseecheth God to perfect his work, and subdue the remain- 
ing adversaries by the might of his power. 9, 10. He breaks forth 
again into a strain of thanksgiving, and, 11 — 15. again returns to his 
prayers for the complete redemption, and the prosperity of Israel. If 
we substitute in our minds, Messiah for David, the church for Israel, 
and spiritual for temporal blessings, the Psalm will present itself to us 
as a noble evangelical hymn. 

1. Blessed be the Lord my strength , which teacheth my 
hands to war, and my fingers to fight. 

What David here acknowledged, with regard to his vic- 
tories, and that skill or might by which they were obtained, 
should be likewise acknowledged by all earthly kings and 
generals, in the day of battle and conquest. For success in 
our spiritual warfare, we depend on the grace of God, which 
alone can give us wisdom and " strength to have victory, 
and to triumph against sin, the world, and the devil." Even 
the Captain of our salvation fought and overcame by a power 
that was divine. — " Jehovah taught his hands to war, and 
his fingers to fight." And "blessed," on that account, be 
the name of Jehovah, in the church, for evermore. 

2. My goodness, Heb. my mercy* and my fortress; my 
high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I 
trust; who subdued my people under me. 

The "goodness," or " mercy," of God inclineth us in time 
of trouble, to fly to him as to a " fortress," or " tower," in 
which we find refuge ; and when we have thus put ourselves 
under his patronage, he become th our "deliverer" from pre- 
sent danger ; our " shield," or protector, against any that may 
afterward arise ; the object of our unlimited " trust" and confi- 
dence ; and, at last, the " subduer"of all opposition "under us." 

* That is, " who are merciful to me," the abstract being put for the con- 
crete, as in Ps. xii. 1. Prov. x. 29. Ezek. xliv. 6. Hosea viii. 9. Dr. Durell 
thinks we should read >nDn " my refuge," as in other parallel places. 



632 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLIV. 



3. Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him? 
Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him? 4. Man 
is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away. 

After a thanksgiving for the works which Jehovah had 
wrought, followeth a reflection on the creature " man," for 
whom they were wrought. Such a reflection, introduced in 
the same manner, and almost in the same words, we meet 
with in Ps. viii. 4. which passage being cited by the apostle, 
Heb. ii. 6. and applied to Christ, affords an argument, as Dr. 
Hammond hath justly observed, for a like application of the 
verses now before us, in their more eminent, prophetic, mys- 
tical sense. For, certainly, if David, upon the remembrance 
of what God had done for him, could break forth into this 
reflection, much more may we do so, for whom the Redeemer 
hath been manifested in the form of a servant, and in that 
form hath humbled himself to the death of the cross, to gain 
us the victory over principalities and powers, to put all 
things under our feet, and to make us partakers of his ever- 
lasting kingdom. Lord, what, indeed, is man, or what 
is the son of such a miserable creature, ti^ON p, that thou 
shouldst take this knowledge, and make this account of 
him? Man, who is now become like vanity, or instability 
itself; whose days are fleeting and transient as a shadow, 
which glides over the earth, vanishes, and is seen no more ! 
Such was human nature : but the Son of God hath taken it 
upon himself, rendered it immortal, and exalted it to heaven; 
whither all will follow him hereafter, who follow him now 
in the paths of righteousness and holiness. 

5. Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down: touch the 
mountains, and they shall smoke. 6. Cast forth lightning, 
and scatter them : shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them. 

7. Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out 
of great waters, from the hand of strange children; 

8. Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a 
right hand of falsehood. 

David, having celebrated his victories over some of his 
enemies, and extolled the mercy and goodness of God, 
to whom he ascribed the achievement of them, now pro- 
ceedeth to request a farther manifestation of the omnipo- 
tent arm in his favour, against other hostile forces, which 
still threatened his country, upon his accession to the throne ; 
such as the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, &c. See 



DAY XXX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



633 



2 Sam. v. and viii. These are called, metaphorically, " great 
waters," threatening to overwhelm and destroy every thing; 
and, in plainer terms, "strange children," or aliens from 
the covenant of Jehovah, and the commonwealth of Israel ; 
children who " speak lies, and work wickedness ;" or, as 
Dr. Hammond interpreteth the 8th verse, " whose mouth 
speaketh, or maketh profession of vanity, fctfltt? that is, idolatry ; 
and their right hand," that on which they depend for sup- 
port, the object of their confidence, " is a right hand of 
falsehood," and one that will fail all who rely upon it 
for help. Jehovah, the God of Israel, is therefore entreated 
once more to appear in the cause of his Anointed; to go 
forth, as of old, to the battle against the enemies of his 
people, with all the tokens of displeasure and vengeance, 
dismaying and putting to flight these " armies of aliens." 
In like manner, the church, or mystical body of Christ, is 
instant in prayer for the final completion of her hope. She 
wisheth for the glorious day, when her God and Saviour 
shall bow the heavens,. and come down to judgment, causing 
the mountains to smoke, and flame, and dissolve, and flow 
down before him; when his lightnings, those arrows of his 
indignation, and ministers of his vengeance, shall scatter the 
hosts of darkness, and destroy the antichristian powers; 
when we shall be delivered from every enemy, and from 
all that hate us, and David our King. 

9. I will sing a new song unto thee, O God; upon a 
psaltery and an inirument of ten strings will I sing praises 
unto thee, 10. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: 
who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. 

In the mean time, as the Israelitish church praised Jehovah 
for the mercies already vouchsafed to the son of Jesse, so do 
we daily magnify, with voices and instruments of music, that 
salvation which God hath effected for us, by the deliverance 
of his Son, our Lord, from death and the grave. 

11. Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange 
children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand 
is a right hand of falsehood : 12. That our sons may be as 
plants grown up in their youth ; that our daughters may be 
as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace. 
13. That our garners may be full, affording all manner of 
store, that our sheep may biding forth thousands and ten 
thousands in our streets; or, fields: 14. That our oxen may 



634 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLIV. 



be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going 
out; that there be no complaining in our streets. 

Prayer is again made for a continuance of God's favour, 
and a complete victory over every enemy ; the happy conse- 
quences of which, in the establishment of Israel, and the 
prosperity of Jerusalem, are particularly described. Victory 
is productive of peace, and peace is the mother of all earthly 
blessings to communities, and the families that compose them ; 
whose happiness consisteth in a numerous and hopeful pro- 
geny of sons and daughters; the former healthy and wel] 
nurtured, growing up, like young plants in a kindly soil, 
until they attain to their full strength and stature ; the latter, 
fair and virtuous, like so many tall, well-proportioned, highly- 
polished, and richly-ornamented columns, gracing the house 
to which they belong. -When to these we have added plenty 
of corn, and all other provisions, in the granaries and store- 
houses ; flocks and herds, ever thriving and increasing ; free- 
dom from hostile invasions, and domestic complaints, so that 
there be " no breaking in, nor going out," no irruption of 
aliens into the commonwealth, nor emigration of inhabitants 
to foreign countries, by captivity, or otherwise; we shall 
find ourselves possessed of most of the ingredients, which 
enter into the composition of temporal felicity. Such felicity 
God promised to his people Israel, and bestowed on them, 
while they kept his statutes, and observed his laws. And, 
therefore, there is no reason for supposing, as the fathers, 
with many others, have done, that these wishes for " sons, 
daughters, corn, sheep, oxen," &c. are uttered by the 
" strange children," the aliens and idolaters, mentioned in 
the 11th verse. The good things of this world may fall to 
the lot of the righteous, who are distinguished from the 
wicked by the use which they make of them when given; 
and by their meek resignation of them, when taken away. 
Whatever be the will of God concerning our having or 
wanting these outward comforts, we know that we have, as 
the faithful servants of God in every age had before us, 
greater and more precious promises, a better and an en- 
during substance, pleasures that fade not, and riches that 
fly not away, reserved for us in a heavenly country, and a 
city which hath foundations. 

15. Happy is that people that is in such a case: yea, 
happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. 



DAY XXX. M. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



635 



The Psalmist concludes, with pronouncing the happiness 
of the Israelites, when in the state of prosperity above de- 
scribed, and their far greater happiness in " having Jehovah 
for their God," who, by settling them in peaceful possession 
of the land of Canaan, and the Jerusalem below, gave them 
a pledge and foretaste of that love, which stood engaged by 
covenant to bring them and us to his everlasting Rest, in 
the Jerusalem above. 



PSALM CXLV. 

ARGUMENT. 

Hitherto, in this divine book, we have been presented with checkered 
scenes of danger and deliverance, distress and mercy. The voice of 
complaint hath sometimes been succeeded by that of thanksgiving ; and 
praise, at other times, hath terminated in prayer. But now, as if the 
days of mourning in Zion were ended, we hear no more of Messiah, as 
a man of sorrows; or of the church, as despised and afflicted, after the 
same example, in the world. Henceforth we seem not to be upon earth, 
but in heaven, mingling with celestial spirits around the throne, and 
singing, as in the following Psalm, 1, 2. the praises of our God and 
King; extolling, 3. his greatness, 4. his might, 5. his glory, 6, 7. his 
justice, 8, 9. his mercy; 10 — 13. the majesty of his kingdom, and 14 — 
21. all his adorable perfections, and wondrous works. This is an alpha- 
betical Psalm. The verse, which should begin with the letter Nun, is 
wanting. But, as Dr. Hammond hath observed, it is not uncommon 
for one letter, or more, to be left out in an alphabetical Psalm, as in 
Ps. xxv. where n being twice repeated, p is certainly omitted. We 
shall, therefore, content ourselves, with what we find in the original He- 
brew, and in the Chaldee, without inserting the verse which is now read in 
the lxx, and other translations. Bishop Patrick mentions a saying of 
the ancient Hebrews, taken notice of by Valentine Schindler, that " He 
could not fail to be a child of the world to come, who would say this 
Psalm three times every day." Perhaps they who, while they chant it in 
full choir, enter thoroughly into the spirit of it, do experience as lively 
a foretaste of the next world, as can be experienced in this. 

1. I will extol thee, my God, O King ; and will bless thy 
name for ever and ever. 2. Every day will I bless thee; 
and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 

The same divine person, who was, in a peculiar manner, 
the " God" and " King" of Israel, now standeth in those 
relations to the Gentile Christian church, and by her is 
" extolled" in the words of this Psalm, originally composed 
and used for that purpose among the Israelites. Christ is 
our " God" who hath saved us, according to his covenant 
and promise; he is our " King," who hath set up the uni- 



636 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLV. 



versal and everlasting kingdom, foretold by Daniel, and the 
other prophets; who hath " all power in heaven and earth;" 
and who " must reign till he hath put all enemies under his 
feet, and swallowed up death in victory." In the mean 
time, it is the daily employment of us, his redeemed subjects 
and servants, to chant forth the praises of his saving and 
glorious "name," with which the church, on earth, and in 
heaven, will resound " for ever and ever." 

3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his 
greatness is unsearchable. 4. One generation shall praise 
thy works unto another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 

The " greatness" of Jehovah, whether we consider it as 
relating to his office, or his works, is never to be fully 
comprehended by his saints, whose delight it is to con- 
template "the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;" 
Eph iii. 18. the extent and duration of his being and his 
kingdom, the profundity of his counsels, and the sublimity 
of his power and glory. These are the inexhaustible sub- 
jects of divine meditation, transmitted from age to age. And 
as the greatness of God our Saviour hath no bounds, so his 
praises should have no end, nor should the voice of thanks- 
giving ever cease in the church. As "one generation "drops 
it, " another" should take it up, and prolong the delightful 
strain, till the sun and the moon shall withdraw their light, 
and the stars fall extinguished from their orbs. 

5. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of 
thy wondrous works. 6. And men shall speak of the might of 
thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. 7. They 
shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness. 

Those works of God, which demand to be celebrated by 
the tongues of men, are here divided into three kinds. First, 
such as declare his glory, and excite our admiration, when- 
ever we behold them. Of this sort are the shining frame of 
the heavens, and all the bodies which move therein; the 
earth, with its furniture without, and its contents within; 
the magnificent and stupendous ocean, which flows around 
it; the different tribes of animals inhabiting both the one and 
the other; and, above all, the construction of man, the lord 
of this lower world. Under the second class of God's works 
are ranged all those which the Psalmist styleth his "terrible 
acts," or the exertions of his power against his enemies; such 
as, the destruction of the old world by water; of Sodom 



DAY XXX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



637 



and Gomorrah by fire; of Pharaoh and his host in the 
Red Sea ; of the Canaanitish nations by the sword ; and 
the victory gained over sin and death by the resurrection 
of Christ. In the third rank stand those works which 
have proceeded from the " goodness" of God, and his 
" righteousness" in the performance of his promises. And 
among these we may reckon all the different species of 
provision, which have been made by Providence for the 
bodies of men in the world, and by grace for their souls in 
the church. On any of these subjects, meditation cannot 
be long employed, without breaking forth into wonder, 
gratitude, and praise. 

8. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to 
anger, and of great mercy. 9. The Lord is good to all : 
and his tender mercies are over all his works. 

Mercy hath misery for its object, and is that attribute, 
toward which the eyes of a fallen world must naturally be 
turned. The Psalmist hath accordingly introduced her 
last, with great pomp and splendour, seated in her triumphal 
chariot, and invested with a supremacy over all the works 
of God. She is above the heavens, and over all the earth, 
so that the whole creation findeth that refuge under the 
shadow of her wings, of which, by reason of man's trans- 
gression, it standeth in need. The original word for 
" his tender mercies," is VEm, the singular of which, Din, 
signifies the "womb." The "mercies" of God toward 
man are, therefore, represented, by this word, to be like 
those of a mother toward the child of her "womb." And 
this is the very similitude which he himself hath made use 
of, in that most affecting and comforting passage of the pro- 
phecy of Isaiah, chap. xlix. 15. — " Can a woman forget 
her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on 
the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not 
forget thee." And now, what follows? Are such "tender 
mercies" in God? And are they "over all his works?" 
Why then, — 

10. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints 
shall bless thee. 11. They shall speak of the glory of thy 
kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12. To make known to the 
sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his 
kingdom. 13. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and 
thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 



638 A COMMENTARY [PS. CXLV. 

As " all the works" of God, in their several ways, make a 
due return for the mercy vouchsafed unto them, and set 
forth his glory, so more especially ought this to be done by 
man, who is the principal party concerned in the fall and 
redemption. The " saints" are the subjects of Messiah's 
kingdom ; and of that kingdom it is their duty to publish to 
the world the blessings and the glories, to the end that, 
when these are made known, the nations may be thereby 
induced to submit their hearts to so gracious a sceptre, and 
the dominion of Christ may become as universal in its ex- 
tent, as it is everlasting in its duration. 

14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all 
those that be bowed down. 

After having proclaimed the glory and eternity of the 
kingdom, the prophet draws a character of the king, who, 
in the execution of his regal and pastoral office, is ever 
mindful of the necessities of his subjects. To those who, 
like Peter on the water, are sinking under temptation, he 
stretcheth out his saving arm, supporting and " upholding" 
them by his grace ; and to those who, like the woman in the 
gospel, have long been " bowed down" with sin or sorrow, 
he holdeth forth a pardon, " raising" and setting them up- 
right again by his mercy. The case is the same with regard 
to outward distresses, from which God either preserves or 
delivers his people, as he sees best for them. 

15. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them 
their meat in due season. 16. Thou openest thy hand and 
satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 

What a just and beautiful picture is here presented to 
view ! We see the whole animal world assembled before us, 
with their eyes fixed on the great King and Father of all 
things, like those of a flock on their shepherd, when he 
enters the field in time of dearth, with provender for them. 
From the same divine person, as the Saviour of men, as the 
King, Father, and Pastor of the Church, do believers, with 
earnest expectation, wait for the food of eternal life. And 
neither one nor the other look and wait in vain. To both 
he giveth their meat in due season; " he openeth his hand, 
and satisfieth the desire of every living thing." 

17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy, or, 
good, merciful in all his works. 

Thus, " in all his ways," or dispensations toward his crea- 



DAY XXX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



G30 



tures, whether in nature, or in grace, "Jehovah is righteous,'' 
faithful, and just, in extending his promised care, by making 
due provision for their wants; and " all his works," which, 
from the beginning of the world, he hath wrought in behalf 
of the sons of men, are full of " mercy and loving-kindness." 

18. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, 
to all that call upon him in truth. 19. He will fulfil the 
desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, 
and iv ill save them. 

It is our happiness to have a King, who is not, like 
earthly princes, difficult of access, but one of whom the 
meanest subject may at any time obtain an audience, and 
be certain of having his request granted, if it be made 
" in truth," without wavering, and without hypocrisy, w r ith 
humble confidence, and with unwearied constancy, ex- 
pecting salvation from God, from none but him, and from 
him only in the way of duty and obedience; " he will fulfil 
the desire of them that fear him." 

20. The Lord preserveth all them that love him : but all 
the wicked will he destroy. 

To protect his subjects, and destroy their enemies, is the 
finishing part of the legal character, as here drawn from its 
great original in " the King of saints." By his grace he now 
preserveth us from innumerable dangers and temptations, 
and gradually destroyeths in in us : and by his power he will 
hereafter execute, in the fullest and most extensive sense, 
this part of his office, " when the wicked shall be consumed 
with the spirit of his mouth, and destroyed with the bright- 
ness of his coming." Then the bodies of the righteous, 
preserved to a joyful resurrection, shall be reunited to their 
souls, and both together, perfected and glorified, shall reign 
and shine with him for ever. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ 
" preserveth all that love him," and maketh good his pro- 
mise, "There shall not an hair of your head perish." — 
Luke xxi. 18. 

21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord : and 
let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. 

The Psalmist, having now given the reasons why he had 
resolved to "extol his God and King, and to bless his name 
for ever and ever," concludes with repeating his resolution, 
and exhorts all the world to follow his example, in time 
and eternity. 



640 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLVI. 



PSALM CXLVI. 

ARGUMENT. 

In this Psalm, the church is taught, 1, 2. to prolong the praises of Jeho- 
vah, as her God and King; 3 — 6. to beware of trusting in the powers 
of the world, and to rely on the world's Creator and Redeemer, whose 
miracles of love and mercy, wrought for the children of men, 1- — 9. are 
enumerated, and the eternity of whose kingdom, 10. is proclaimed. 

1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. 
2. While I live 1 will praise the Lord : I will sing praises 
unto my God, while I have any being. 

No sooner is one hallelujah ended, but another begins ; 
and the prophet, in imitation of those who " rest not day or 
night," stirs himself up afresh to praise the King of Glory, 
the Creator and Redeemer of men, declaring himself re- 
solved to employ the powers and faculties of his soul in the 
service of that God, who gave and preserved them. 

3. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, 
in whom there is no help. 4. His breath goeth forth, he re- 
turneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 
5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, 
whose hope is in the Lord his God: 6. Which made heaven, 
and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth 
truth for ever. 

From Him, who is " the Prince of the kings of the earth," 
Sion looks for deliverance, and by Him her true sons expect 
to be exalted. He "keepeth truth for ever; " he is able and 
willing to perform his promises, and never disappoints those 
who rely on him. There are no changes in the politics of 
heaven. The faithful servant of his Master is by that Master 
infallibly approved and rewarded. Earthly princes, if they 
have the will, often want the power, even to protect their 
friends. And should they want neither will nor power to 
advance them, yet still all depends upon the breath in their 
nostrils, which, perhaps, at the very critical moment, " goeth 
forth; they return to their earth; their thoughts," and all 
the thoughts of those who had hoped to rise by their means, 
fall into the same grave, and are buried with them for ever. 
" Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for 
wherein is he to be accounted of? But trust ye in the Lord 



DAY XXX. M. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



041 



for ever ; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." 
— Isa. ii. 22. xxvi. 4. 

7. Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which 
giveth food to the hungry. The Lordlooseth the prisoners : 

8. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind : the Lord raiseth 
them that are bowed down : the Lord loveth the righteous ; 

9. The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the 
fatherless and widow : but the way of the wicked he turneth 
upside down. 

That the Lord, of whom all these things are spoken, is the 
Messiah, or Jehovah incarnate, appears, as Dr. Hammond 
hath justly observed, from what is said of him in verse 8, 
" The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind ;" the miracle of 
restoring sight to men born blind being one reserved for the 
Son of God to work at his coming in the flesh. " Since the 
world began," saith the man to whom sight had been thus 
restored, " was it not heard, that any man opened the eyes 
of one that was born blind." — John ix. 32. This, therefore, 
was the first of those tokens given by Jesus to the disciples 
of John, whereby it might be known, that he was the ex- 
pected Christ ; " Go and tell John the things which ye have 
heard and seen : The blind receive their sight," &c. But 
how did this evince him to be the Messiah? Plainly, 
because it had been foretold by the prophets, (as in Isaiah 
xxxv. 5. xxix. 18. xlii. 18. so in this passage of our Psalm, 
which is exactly similar to those texts,) that Messiah, when 
he came, should give sight to the blind. Now, if one part 
of the Psalmist's description belong to Christ, the other 
members of it must do so likewise, it being evident that the 
whole is spoken of the same person. He, therefore, is " the 
God of Jacob, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all 
that therein is ; " and upon his appearing among men in the 
body of our flesh, he showed himself possessed of power to 
relieve all the wants, corporal and spiritual, of poor lost 
mankind. When he rescued men from the bondage of 
Satan, he " executed judgment for the oppressed ;" when he 
fed thousands by a miracle, or when he preached the word 
to such as desired to hear and receive it, he " gave food to the 
hungry :" when, by pardon and grace, he released those who 
were bound with the chains of their sins, he " loosed the 
prisoners:" when he poured light into the sightless eye-ball, 
or illuminated with saving knowledge, the understanding of 

2 T 



642 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLVIT. 



the ignorant, he " opened the eyes of the blind ;" when he 
made the crooked woman straight, or rectified the obliquity 
of a depraved will, he ' £ raised those that were bowed down :" 
while he protecteth, and guideth to the city of their eternal 
habitation, the sons of Adam, who are exiles, pilgrims, and 
sojourners upon earth, he "preserveth the strangers;" when 
he became a husband to the church, and a parent to her 
destitute children, he " relieved the fatherless and widow :" 
and when he shall come in his glorious majesty, to reward 
his servants, and to confound their enemies, it will be seen 
how "he loveth the righteous, and turneth the way of the 
wicked upside down." Happy the people of such a God ! 
happy the subjects of such a King ! Rejoice and sing, and 
shout aloud ; for lo, — 

10. The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O 
Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord. 



THIRTIETH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER. 



PSALM CXLVII. 

ARGUMENT. 

It hath been conjectured, from verse 2. that this Psalm was written to ce- 
lebrate the return of Israel from Babylon, when Jerusalem and the tem- 
ple were rebuilt. 1 — 3. The people of God are exhorted to praise him 
for the mercies vouchsafed to them; 4 — 6. for his wisdom, power, and 
goodness; 7 — 9. for his providential care, and, 10, 1 1. the wonderful 
salvation wrought by his arm; 12 — 14. for the security, increase, and 
prosperity of the church; 15 — 18. for the happy change of her condi- 
tion, like that produced in nature, when spring succeeds to winter; 
19, 20. and for the glorious privilege of the divine word revealed and 
committed to her. 

1. Praise ye the Lord ; for it is good to sing praises unto 
our God ; for it is pleasant ; and praise is comely. 

Praise is "good" and acceptable to God our Saviour, 
whose glory is the great end of man's creation and redemp- 
tion : and it is "pleasant and comely" for man, being the 
only return he can make for those, and all other mercies; the 
offspring of gratitude, and the expression of love; the eleva- 



DAY XXX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



643 



tion of the soul, and the antepast of heaven ; its own reward 
in this life, and an introduction to the felicities of the next. 

2. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem : he gather eth to- 
gether the outcasts of Israel. 

If this Psalm were written on occasion of the return from 
Babylon, and the rebuilding of the earthly city, the ideas 
are to be transferred, as in other Psalms of the same kind, to 
a more important restoration from a much worse captivity, 
and to the building up of the church under the gospel, when 
Christ " gathered together hi one the children of God that 
were scattered abroad;" John xi. 52. that is, in the words of 
our Psalm, he "gathered together the outcasts of Israel." 
So shall he again, at the resurrection, " gather together his 
elect from the four winds," Matt. xxiv. 31. and "build up a 
Jerusalem," in which they shall serve and praise him for ever. 

3. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their 
wounds. 

The "broken hearts and wounded spirits" of the Israelites 
were "healed and made whole," when they returned to 
their own land, when they beheld Jerusalem rising again in 
beauteous majesty, and sung the songs of Zion in the courts 
of the temple. Thus Christ came to "preach deliverance 
to the captives, and to bind up the broken hearted ;" Isa. 
Ixi. 1. Luke iv. 18. to speak pardon and peace to the 
wounded and contrite spirit, and to put a new song of thanks- 
giving in the mouth of the penitent, which he might sing, 
when restored to the holy city, and the house of his heavenly 
Father. The hour is coming, when God shall heal the 
breaches which death has made in the bodies of his people, 
and translate them likewise from Babylon to Jerusalem. 

4. He telleth the number of the sta?*s : he calleth them all 
by their names. 

And he who does this, cannot be ignorant of the situation 
and circumstances of his elect. He knoweth each individual, 
and numbereth all the atoms which go to the composition 
of his frame. He can call his saints from the depths of earth 
and sea, "by their names," as when once "he cried with 
a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ;" and he can fix them 
in radiant circles round his throne in the kingdom of glory, 
vying, for multitude, as well as splendour, with those bright 
orbs which glitter by night in the spangled firmament of 
heaven ; so that what Baruch saith of the stars, may well 

2 t 2 



(344 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLVIT. 



be applied to the seed of Abraham, of whom it was foretold, 
that they should equal the stars in number, Gen. xv. 5. 
"The stars shine in their watches, and rejoice; when he 
calleth them, they say, Here we be ; and so with cheerfulness 
they show light unto him that made them." — Baruch hi. 34. 

5. Great is our Lord, and of great power : his under- 
standing is infinite : Heb. of his understanding there is no 
number, or, computation ; *)DDft ^N. 

This is a proper conclusion drawn from the former part 
of the Psalm, and especially from the preceding verse. 
The greatness of Gods power, which overcometh all diffi- 
culties to effect the salvation of his people, is not to be 
grasped by the human mind ; and that wisdom which 
numbers the stars of heaven, and the sand of the sea, and 
the generations of the sons of Abraham, can itself be subject 
to the rules of no arithmetic. 

6. The Lord lifteth up the meek : he casteth the wicked 
down to the ground. 

To exalt and reward the humble, penitent, believing, and 
obedient ; to depress and punish the proud, impenitent, un- 
believing, and disobedient ; these are the measures and 
ends of all the divine dispensations. And as a man ranks 
himself in one or other of these two divisions, he may ex- 
pect from heaven storm or sunshine, mercy or judgment. 

7. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving ; sing praise 
upon the harp unto our God : 8. Who covereth the heaven 
with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh 
grass to grow upon the mountains. 9. He giveth to the 
beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. 

The faithful praise God for his goodness to the animal 
world, both on account of that goodness in itself, and also, 
because they behold therein an emblem and assurance of his 
mercy to themselves. The watchful care of providence over 
all creatures, speaks the same language to us, which Jehovah 
made use of to Joshua, and which the apostle hath applied 
to Christians : "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." — 
Joshua i. 5. Heb. xiii. 5. He who, by sending rain on the 
mountains, which could not otherwise be watered, provideth 
food for the wild beasts inhabiting those mountains, will 
-never leave the lambs of his flock destitute. And he who 
feedeth the young of the unclean raven, when they cry, and 
as it were, in their way, call upon him for a supply of their 



DAY XXX. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



645 



wants, will he, in the day of dearth and calamity, forsake 
the meek and harmless dove, that mourneth continually in 
prayer before him ? The desponding servant of God need 
only therefore put to himself the question which we find 
asked by the Creator in the book of Job, chap, xxxviii. 41. 
"Who provideth for the raven his food ? When his young 
ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat they 
wander and find it. Our Lord pressed this argument on 
his disciples, Luke xii. 24. — "Consider the ravens." Matt, 
vi. 26. — " Behold the fowls of the air ; for they sow not, 
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly 
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" 

Behold, and look away your low despair ; 

See the light tenants of the barren air : 

To them, nor stores, nor granaries belong, 

Nought but the woodland, and the pleasing song; 

Yet, your kind heav'nly Father bends his eye 

On the least wing that flits along the sky. 

To him they sing, when spring renews the plain, 

To him they cry, in winters pinching reign; 

Nor is their music, nor their plaint, in vain : 

He hears the gay, and the distressful call, 

And with unsparing bounty fills them all. 

Will he not care for you, ye faithless, say? 

Is he unwise ? Or, are ye less than they ? Thomson. 

10. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he 
taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. 11. The Lord 
taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in 
his mercy. 

If, therefore, the inference deduced above be a just one, 
namely, that God, who takes care of the wild beasts, and 
the birds of the air, will support and defend his church, 
however weak she may be, and however strong her adver- 
saries may be, yet she may rest secure, as having him on her 
side, to whom it is equal, to save by many, or by few; who 
giveth not the victory to the pomp and pride of carnal 
strength, to thousands, or ten thousands, but to "those who 
fear him, and hope in his mercy." The history of Israel is 
one continual exemplification of this truth ; and, in our 
spiritual warfare, " this is the victory which overcometh the 
world, even our faith.'" — John v. 4. 

12. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem ; praise thy God, O 
Zion. 13. For he hath strengthened the bans of thy gates ; 



646 



A COMMENTARY 



[P-S. C XL VII. 



he hath blessed thy children within thee, 14. lie maktth 
peace in thy borders, and Jilleth thee with the finest of the 
wheat. 

The church, like Jerusalem of old, erected and preserved 
by the wisdom, and power, and goodness of God, is ex- 
horted to praise him for all the benefits and blessings vouch- 
safed unto her ; for the increase of " her children within 
her;" and for the "peace" which she at any time enjoyeth 
"in her borders," while she is here below; for the plentiful 
provision made by her pastors, to satisfy the needs of those 
who "hunger and thirst after righteousness;" and for the 
protection of the Almighty, " strengthening the bars of her 
gates," and securing to her the possession of all these 
comforts ; which, in the heavenly Jerusalem, shall be ren- 
dered perfect and indefeasible for evermore. 

15. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his 
word runneth very swiftly. 16. He giveth snow like wool : 
he scattereth the hoar frost like ashes. 17. He casteth forth 
his ice like morsels : who can stand before his cold? 18. He 
sendeth out his word, and melteth them : he causeth his wind 
to blow, and the waters flow. 

The wonders of nature represent to us the miracles of 
grace, and the change of seasons produceth not greater 
alterations in the world, than those which take place in the 
church, when her God hideth from her, or restoreth to her, 
the light of his countenance, which, like its emblem, the 
bright ruler in the heavens, at its departure leaves winter 
behind it, and brings the spring with it at its return. "The 
sun," says Bishop Sherlock, "is the great spirit of the world, 
in the light of which all things are made to rejoice ; per- 
petual spring attends his course ; all things revive at his 
approach, and put on a new face of youth and beauty ; 
winter and frost lag behind him ; nature grows deformed, 
and sickens at his departure." — Disc. vol. v. p. 88. What 
the sun is to the world, the same is Christ to the church. 
When the heart of man turns away from him, and deprives 
itself of his gracious illumination; when ignorance suc- 
ceeds to knowledge, that is, darkness to light ; when faith 
fails, and all its fair productions wither away ; when " the 
love of many is waxed cold," and the fertilizing streams of 
charity are frozen to the bottom : on the other hand, when 
God " sendeth out his word, and melteth them ;" when he 



DAY XXX. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



647 



" bloweth with his Spirit, and," by these genial influences 
from above, " the waters are made to flow ;" when faith 
revives and shoots into vigour, and beauty, and fruitfulness ; 
and when the hearts of men are warmed, as well as their 
understandings illuminated ; what is all this, but a winter, 
and a spring, like those which, in their turns, annually 
deform and renew the face of the earth, at the " word and 
command of God," in either case, " running swiftly," and 
operating efficaciously ? 

19. He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his 
judgments unto Israel. 20. He hath not dealt so with any 
nation : and as for his judgments, they have not known them. 
Praise ye the Lord. 

That "word," the effects of which upon the spiritual 
system are similar to those experienced by nature in the 
vernal season, that "word was showed unto Jacob, and 
became the property of "Israel," while Israel continued to be 
the church of God. It hath since been made over, with all 
its types realized, and its prophecies accomplished in Jesus, 
to the church Christian ; it is that peculiar blessing, which 
distinguishes her from the rest of the world, and for which 
her children are bound, at all times, to "praise the Lord." 



PSALM CXLVIII. 

ARGUMENT. 

All the creatures in the invisible and visible world are called upon by the 
Psalmist to unite in a grand chorus of praise and thanksgiving. The 
various parts are to be performed by, 1, 2. the angelic hosts; 3 — 6. the 
material heavens, and the luminaries placed in them; 7. the ocean, with 
its inhabitants; 8. the meteors of the air; 9, 10. the earth, as divided 
into hills and valleys, with the vegetables that grow out of it, and the 
animals that move upon, or about it ; 11 — 1 3. the human race of every 
degree, of each sex, and of every age; 14. more especially the Israel, 
or church of God. 

1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the 
heavens : praise him in the heights. 2. Praise ye him, all 
ye angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 

When St. John saw in vision the King of Glory seated on 
his throne, he tells us that he heard all the angels which 
stood around the throne with the elders, and every creature 



648 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLVIII. 



in heaven, earth, and sea, lifting up their voices, and sing- 
ing together a hymn of thanksgiving in honour of him. Such 
a choir we find here summoned by the inspired Psalmist, 
and exhorted to join and assist him in praising the same 
divine person, whom the elders, in the Revelation, declare 
" worthy to receive glory, and honour, and power," because 
he " created all things, and for his pleasure they are, and 
were created." — Rev. iv. 11. v. 13. From the heavens and 
those unutterable heights, where hosts of immortal spirits, 
admitted to a sight of their King, enjoy unfading pleasures, 
the song is to begin. And when the strain is thus set by 
the celestial part of the choir, it is to be taken up, and 
echoed back, by the creatures of this lower world, animate 
and inanimate, which have all their several parts assigned 
them, in the great work of glorifying their Creator. 

3. Praise ye him, sun and moon : praise him, all ye stars 
of light. 4. Praise him y ye heavens of heavens, and ye 
waters that be above the heavens. 5. Let them praise the 
name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were 
created. 6. He hath also established them for ever and ever: 
he hath rnade a decree which shall not pass. 

The material heavens, through all their various regions, 
with the luminaries placed in them, and the waters sustained 
by them, though they have neither speech nor language, 
and want the tongue of men, yet, by their splendour and 
magnificence, their motions and their influences, all regu- 
lated and exerted according to the ordinance of their Maker, 
do, in a very intelligible and striking manner, declare the 
glory of God : they call upon us to translate their actions 
into our language, and copy their obedience in our lives ; 
that so we may, both by word and deed, glorify, with them, 
the Creator and Redeemer of the universe. 

7. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, or, whales, 
and all deeps. 

From heaven above, the Psalmist descendeth to the deep 
beneath, which, while it proclaims the power, observes the 
laws and decrees of him who made it, and poured it abroad. 
And the same may be said of its enormous inhabitants, 
which are under the command of Jehovah, and of none 
but him. 

8. Fire, and hail ; snow, and vapour : stormy wind fulfil- 
ling his word : 



DAY XXX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



649 



These are so many messengers, always ready to go forth 
at the command of the Most High, for the purposes of 
mercy, or judgment. They praise and glorify God, after their 
manner, while they " fulfil his word" upon the earth. 

9. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 
10. Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 

Who shall ever understand or comprehend all the wisdom 
<of God displayed in the vegetable world, from the cedar to 
the hyssop ; in the animal, from the elephant to the pismire, 
from the eagle to the sparrow ? The more we study them, 
the more we shall find him glorified in them; and the more, 
on that account, will he be glorified by us. 

11. Kings of the earth, and all people ; princes, and all 
judges of the earth : 12. Both young men and maidens : old 
men, and children : 13. Let them praise the name of the 
Lord: for his name alone is excellent : his glory is above the 
earth and heaven* 

After the whole creation hath been called upon to praise 
Jehovah ; man, for whom the whole was made ; man, the 
last and most perfect work of God ; man, that hath been 
since redeemed by the blood of the Son of God incarnate, 
is exhorted to join and fill up the universal chorus of heaven 
and earth, as being connected with both worlds, that which 
now is, and that which is to come. Persons of every degree, 
of each sex, and of every age ; " kings," whose power God 
hath made an image of his own, and who are the suns of 
their respective systems ; "judges," and magistrates of all 
kinds, who derive their power, as the moon and planets do 
their light, from its original source ; "young men and 
maidens," in the flower of health, strength, and beauty ; 
"old men," who have accomplished their warfare, and are 
going out of life ; " children," who are just come into it, 
and see every thing new before them ; all these have their 
several reasons for " praising the Lord, whose name is ex- 
cellent, and his glory above heaven and earth." 

14. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of 
all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near 
unto him. Praise ye the Lord. 

* Nec ad solos Hebrseos hsec pertinet adhortatio, sed ad omnes omnino 
homines : estque adeo veluti proludium vocationis Gentilium. Deum enim 
laudare, ut par est, non possunt, qui eum non bene norunt ; nec eum satis 
norunt, qui Evangelium nunquam audiverunt ; e quo maximse Dei laudes 
efflorescunt. — Clericus in loc. 



650 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLVJII. 



As men above all other creatures, so, above other men, 
the "Israel" of God, the "people" that are admitted to 
draw "near unto him," in his house, by faith and charity, 
by prayer and participation of the sacraments, are bound to 
praise him who now "exalteth" them from sin to righteous- 
ness, and will hereafter exalt them from dust to glory. 

Since few of my readers, may, perhaps, have met with a 
paraphrase on the foregoing Psalm, that has hitherto, I 
believe, only made its appearance in a periodical publica- 
tion or two, I shall take the liberty to subjoin it, as a piece, 
which cannot but be acceptable to all true lovers of sacred 
poetry. It was written, as I have been lately informed, 
by the learned and ingenious Dr. Ogilvie, at sixteen years 
of age; — 

PSALM CXLVIII. 
I. 

Begin, my soul, th' exalted lay, 
Let each enraptur'd thought obey, 
And praise th' Almighty's name. 
Lo ! heaven and earth, and seas and skies, 
In one melodious concert rise, 
. To swell th' inspiring theme. 

II. 

Ye fields of light, celestial plains 
Where gay transporting beauty reigns. 

Ye scenes divinely fair ; 
Your Maker's wondrous power proclaim, 
Tell how he form'd your shining frame, 

And breath'd the fluid air. 

III. 

Ye angels, catch the thrilling sound ; 
While all th' adoring thrones around 

His boundless mercy sing; 
Let ev'ry listening saint above 
Wake all the tuneful soul of love, 

And touch the sweetest string. 

IV. 

Join, ye loud spheres, the vocal choir; 
Thou, dazzling orb of liquid fire, 

The mighty chorus aid: 
Soon as grey ev'ning gilds the plain, 
Thou, moon, protract the melting strain, 

And praise him in the shade. 



DAY XXX. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 



651 



V. 

Thou, heav'n of heav'ns, his vast abode; 
Ye clouds, proclaim your forming God, 

Who call'd yon worlds from night; 
" Ye shades, dispel !" — th' Eternal said ; 
At once th' involving darkness fled, 

And nature sprung to light. 

VI. 

Whate'er a blooming world contains, 
That wings the air, that skims the plains, 

United praise bestow : 
Ye dragons, sound his awful name 
To heav'n aloud ; and roar acclaim, 

Ye swelling deeps below. 

VII. 

Let ev'ry element rejoice: 

Ye thunders, burst with awful voice 

To him who bids you roll : 
His praise in softer notes declare, 
Each whispering breeze of yielding air, 

And breathe it to the soul. 

VIII. 

To him, ye graceful cedars, bow ; 
Ye tow'ring mountains, bending low, 

Your great Creator own : 
Tell, when affrighted nature shook, 
How Sinai kindled at his look, 

And trembled at his frown. 

IX. 

Ye flocks that haunt the humble vale, 
Ye insects fluttering on the gale, 

In mutual concourse rise ; 
Crop the gay rose's vermeil bloom, 
And waft its spoils, a sweet perfume, 

In incense to the skies. 

X. 

Wake, all ye mountain tribes, and sing ; 
Ye plumy warblers of the spring, 

Harmonious anthems raise 
To him who shap'd your finer mould, 
Who tipp'd your glittering wings with gold. 

And tun'd your voice to praise. 

XI. 

Let man by nobler passions sway'd, 
The feeling heart, the judging head 
In heav'nly praise employ ; 



652 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CXLIX. 



Spread his tremendous name around 
Till heaven's broad arch rings back the sound, 
The gen'ral burst of joy. 

XII. 

Ye, whom the charms of grandeur please, 
Nuis'd on the downy lap of ease, 

Fall prostrate at his throne ; 
Ye princes, rulers, all adore ; 
Praise him, ye kings, who makes your power 

An image of his own. 

• 

XIII. 

Ye fair, by nature form'd to move, 
O praise th' eternal source of love, 

With youth's enlivening fire : 
Let age take up the tuneful lay, 
Sigh his bless'd name — then soar away, 

And ask an angel's lyre. 



PSALM CXLIX. 

ARGUMENT. 

The children of Zion are excited, 1 — 3. to rejoice, and sing the praises of 
their King, on account, 4. of the salvation which he has already wrought 
for them, and which will hereafter be completed in them, when, 5. they 
shall enter into his rest, and, 6 — 9. triumph with him over the persecut- 
ing powers of the world, and all the opposers of Christ, on whom will 
then be executed the judgment written. The Jews, mistaking, as usual 
the time, place, and nature of Messiah's glorious kingdom, imagine this 
Psalm will receive its accomplishment, by their being made rulers of 
the nations, and lords of all things here below. 

1. Praise the Lord : Sing unto the Lord a new song, and 
his praise in the congregation of saints. 2. Let Israel re- 
joice in him that made him : let the children of Zion be joyful 
in their King. 3. Let them praise his name in the dance : 
let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 

Christians are now the people, to whom belong the names 
and characters of "saints, Israel, and children of Zion." 
They "sing" this holy "song," as the Psalmist hath en- 
joined them to do. They sing it "new" in its evangelical 
sense, as new men, celebrating new victories, new and 
greater mercies, a spiritual salvation, an eternal redemption. 
They "rejoice" with hearts, voices, instruments, and every 
other token of joy, " in him who hath made," or created 



DAY XXX. E. P.] 



ON THE PSALMS. 



G53 



them again, in righteousness and true holiness ; they are 
"joyful in their King," who hath himself overcome, and is 
now leading them on to final conquest and triumph, to 
honour and immortality. 

4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will 
beautify the meek with salvation. 5. The saints* shall be 
joyful with glory : they shall sing aloud upon their beds, or, 
places of rest. 

Such "pleasure" the King of Zion taketh in his people, 
that he hath not disdained to become like one of them ; to 
partake of their flesh and blood, and to give them his Spirit; 
he was made man, to purchase them by his death ; and, as 
a man, he is gone into heaven, to prepare a place for them. 
From thence he will return, to " beautify the meek with 
salvation," and place on the heads of his true disciples, 
the lowly, patient, and peaceable ones, a bright and incor- 
ruptible crown. Therefore are "the saints joyful in glory; 
they sing aloud," in a state of perfect ease and security, 
resting from their labours, but not from their hallelujahs. 

6. The high praises of God in their mouth, and a two- 
edged sword in their hand ; 7. To execute vengeance upon the 
heathen, and punishments upon the people ; 8. To bind their 
kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 
9. To execute upon them the judgment written : this honour 
have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord. 

To those who are saints indeed, and who are acquainted 
with the genuine spirit of the gospel, how obvious is it, that 
the scene, of which we have here a prophetical exhibition, 
is one that cannot take place, till after the resurrection, be- 
cause the followers of the Lamb have certainly nothing to 
do with vengeance in this world, though they are to judge, 
not only men, but angels, in the next; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. when 
they shall be called up to sit on thrones, as assessors, at the 
condemnation of their once insulting persecutors, who will 
be cut asunder with the " two-edged sword," and bound 
with indissoluble "chains." Thus will be executed upon 
them the "eternal judgment written" and announced 
against the enemies of Messiah, in the scriptures of truth. 
— •" This honour will all his saints then have." 

* In this verse, the Hebrew verbs are in the future time. In the verse 
following, the original hath no verb at all. The liberty is therefore taken 
to render them accordingly. 



654 



A COMMENTARY 



[PS. CL. 



PSALM CL. 

ARGUMENT. 

The Psalmist exhorteth man to praise Jehovah, i. for his holiness, and the 
firmament of his power, 2. for the wonders of his might, and for his 
excellent greatness, 3 — 5. with all kinds of music. 6. He concludeth his 
divine book of praises by calling upon every thing that hath breath, to 
employ that breath in declaring the glory of him who gave it. 

1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary, or, 
for his holiness ; praise him in, or, for the firmament, or, 
expansion of his power. 

If our translation be retained, the meaning is, that God 
should be praised in the "sanctuary," or temple, below, and 
likewise in "heaven" above; the former being planned and 
constructed as a resemblance of the latter. But the context 
rather perhaps requires us to suppose the Psalmist giving 
the reasons why God should be praised ; namely, on account 
of his "holiness," and of his "power;" which power is more 
especially displayed in the formation of the "firmament," 
or "expansion" of the material heavens, and their incessant 
operations, by means of the light, and the air, of which they 
are composed, upon the earth, and all things therein. These 
are the appointed instruments of life and motion in the 
natural world, and they afford us some idea of that power 
of God unto salvation, which is manifested in the church, 
by the effects produced on the souls of men, through the 
gracious influences of the Light divine, and the Spirit of 
holiness, constituting "the firmament of God's power," in 
the new creation. 

2. Praise him for his mighty acts : praise him according 
to his excellent greatness. 

"Mighty" were the "acts" which God wrought for Israel, 
and "great" was the Holy One in the midst of his ancient 
people ; but far mightier acts did he perform in Christ Jesus, 
for the redemption of the world ; and more " excellent great- 
ness" hath he manifested in the conversion of the nations, 
the overthrow of paganism, and the erection and preserva- 
tion of the Christian church. O that her gratitude bore 
some proportion to his goodness ! 

3. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet ; praise him 
with the psaltery and harp. 4. Praise him with the timbrel 



DAY XXX. E. P.] ON THE PSALMS. 655 

and dance : praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 
5. Praise him upon the loud cymbals ; praise him upon the 
high sounding cymbals. 

It is impossible for us to distinguish and describe the 
several sorts of musical instruments here mentioned, as the 
Hebrews themselves acknowledge their ignorance in this 
particular. Thus much is clear, that the people of God are 
enjoined to use all the various kinds of them, in the perform- 
ance of their divine services. And why should they not be 
so used, under the gospel ? We read of sacred music before 
the law, in the instance of " Miriam, the prophetess, the 
sister of Aaron," who, to celebrate the deliverance from 
Pharaoh and the Egyptians, " took a timbrel in her hand, 
and the women went out after her, with timbrels and dances." 
— Exod. xv. 20. The custom, therefore, was not introduced 
by the law, nor abolished with it. Well regulated music, if 
ever it had the power of calming the passions, if ever it 
enlivened and exalted the affections of men in the worship 
of God, (purposes for which it was formerly employed,) doubt- 
less hath still the same power, and can still afford the same 
aids to devotion. When the beloved disciple was, in spirit, 
admitted into the celestial choir, he not only heard them 
"singing" hymns of praise, but he heard likewise the "voice 
of harpers harping upon their harps." — Rev. xiv. 2. And 
why that, which saints are represented as doing in heaven, 
should not be done, according to their skill and ability, by 
saints upon earth; or why instrumental music should be 
abolished as a legal ceremony, and vocal music, which was 
as much so, should be retained, no good reason can be 
assigned. Sacred music, under proper regulations, removes 
the hindrances of our devotion, cures the distractions of our 
thoughts, and banishes weariness from our minds. It adds 
solemnity to the public service, raises all the devout passions 
in the soul, and causes our duty to become our delight. " Of 
the pleasures of heaven," says the eloquent and elegant Bishop 
Atterbury, " nothing farther is revealed to us, than that they 
consist in the practice of holy music, and holy love ; the 
joint enjoyment of which, we are told, is to be the happy lot 
of all pious souls, to endless ages." It may be added, that 
there is no better method of combating the mischievous 
effects flowing from the abuse of music, than by applying it 
to its true and proper use. If the worshippers of Baal join 



656 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. [PS. CL. 

in a chorus to celebrate the praises of their idol, the ser- 
vants of Jehovah should drown it, by one that is stronger 
and more powerful, in praise of him who made heaven and 
earth. If the men of the world rejoice in the object of their 
adoration, let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 

6. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord, 
Praise ye the Lord. 

The breath of natural life, which God hath breathed into 
our nostrils, and the breath of that new and eternal life, 
which he hath given us through Christ Jesus our Lord, 
should be returned in hallelujahs. And then the church, 
composed of many and different members, all actuated, like 
the pipes of a well-tuned organ, by the same Spirit, and 
conspiring together in perfect harmony, would become one 
great instrument, sounding forth the praises of God Most 
High. 

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord! — With 
this wish the sweet Psalmist of Israel closes the songs of 
Sion. With the same wish the author desires to close 
these meditations upon them ; giving thanks to the Father 
of mercies, and the God of all comforts, by whose most 
gracious favour and aid they have been begun, continued, 
and ended ; and humbly praying, that no errors, or impro- 
prieties, from which, through human infirmity, during the 
course of a long work, the most diligent and careful are not 
exempt, may prevent his labours from contributing, in some 
small degree, to promote the improvement and consolation 
of the redeemed, the honour and glory of the Redeemer, 
who is the root and the offspring of David, and the bright 
and morning star* Amen. 

* Rev. xxii. 16. 



THE END. 



Knight, Printer, tpper Holloway, Middlesex. 



MM, 



I 



